CN109476150B

CN109476150B - System and method for aligning an ink member of a decorator

Info

Publication number: CN109476150B
Application number: CN201780044318.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: J.埃夫纳; K.赫德伯格
Original assignee: Ball Corp
Current assignee: Ball Corp
Priority date: 2016-07-20
Filing date: 2017-07-19
Publication date: 2021-07-02
Anticipated expiration: 2037-07-19
Also published as: US20180024076A1; CA3029031A1; AU2017300535B2; US10976263B2; CA3029031C; WO2018017712A1; RU2701243C1; EP3487706A4; CN109476150A; MX2019000614A; EP3487706A1; BR112018076028A2; AU2017300535A1

Abstract

An apparatus and method for decorating a metal container is provided. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing decoration on a predetermined portion of a metal container body. The decorator includes a sensor that senses the decoration on the metal container. The control system receives information from the sensors regarding the sensed decor and then determines whether the decor meets at least predetermined color, density, thickness, orientation, and conformance targets. The control system may automatically adjust elements of the decorator to correct for defective decors. In one embodiment, the control system may automatically adjust ink blades associated with multiple inking assemblies of the decorator to adjust the color, density, orientation, positioning, and consistency of the decoration transferred to the metal container. In another embodiment, the control system may adjust the position of the inking assembly, rollers, plate cylinder, printing plate, blanket cylinder, and transfer blanket of the decorator.

Description

System and method for aligning an ink member of a decorator

Cross Reference to Related Applications

Priority of U.S. provisional patent application No.62/364,728 entitled "System and Method for Aligning inserter of a Decorator", filed 2017, 7, month 20, under 35u.s.c § 119(e), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to decorative containers. More particularly, the present invention provides an apparatus and method for monitoring and automatically controlling the location and application of ink to the outer surface of a metal container.

Background

Metal beverage containers provide many benefits to distributors and consumers. The metal body of the beverage container provides the best protection properties for the product. For example, the metal body prevents CO₂Migration and the transmission of UV radiation, which can damage the beverage, negatively affect the flavor, appearance or color of the product. Metal beverage containers also provide an impermeable barrier to light, water vapor, oils and fats, oxygen and microorganisms, and keep the container contents fresh and protected from external influences, thereby ensuring a long shelf life. The surface of the metal container is also a desirable choice for decorating brand names, logos, designs, product information, and/or other preferred indicia for identifying, marketing, and distinguishing the metal container and its contents from other products and competitors. Thus, metal containers provide significant advantages to bottlers, distributors, and retailers at the point of sale.

The increased durability and aesthetic advantage of metal beverage containers, as compared to glass and plastic containers, reduces the number of containers that are damaged during processing and shipping, thereby further saving costs. In addition, metal beverage containers are lighter than glass containers of comparable size, thereby saving energy during transportation. Furthermore, metal beverage containers can be manufactured with high burst pressures, which makes them ideal and safe for use as containers for holding products under pressure, such as containers for carbonated beverages.

In addition, many consumers prefer metal containers over containers made of glass or plastic. Metal containers are particularly attractive to consumers because of the convenience they provide. Metal containers are lightweight, making them easier to carry than glass containers. Metal containers are particularly suitable for use in public and outdoors as they are more durable than glass containers. In addition, some consumers may avoid plastic containers due to concerns that plastic may leach chemicals into the consumable product.

Because of these benefits, the sales value of metal containers worldwide in 2014 was about $ 530 billion. A large portion of the metal container market is driven by beverage containers. According to a report, there were approximately 2900 million metal beverage containers worldwide in 2012. One american trade group reported that 1260 million metal containers were shipped in the united states alone in 2014. To meet this demand, metal container manufacturing facilities operate some of the fastest (if not the fastest) production lines in the container industry. In some container lines, such as those associated with metal containers formed by an impact extrusion process, the decorator may operate at about 120 to about 240 metal containers per minute. In a beverage container production line, production equipment including decorators must typically operate at 500-. More preferably, the decorator may need to be operated at a production speed of at least one thousand, even more preferably several thousand, cylindrical metal containers per minute. Due to the high speed of container lines, technologies or processes that may function in other industries or for containers formed of other materials do not necessarily function at the high speeds required for metal container lines. For example, the apparatus and method of decorating paper or paper webs (webs of paper) and paperboard materials differs from decorators for three-dimensional objects, such as metal containers. Thus, many of the operations used to form and decorate metal containers typically require specialized equipment and techniques.

Metal containers are often decorated with images or indicia (e.g., brand names, logos, product information, or designs) by lithographic or offset printing processes. Various examples of printing methods and apparatus are described in U.S. patent nos. 3,960,073; U.S. patent nos. 4,384,518; U.S. patent nos. 5,233,922; U.S. patent nos. 6,550,389; U.S. patent nos. 6,899,998; U.S. patent application publication No. 2012/0272846; U.S. patent application publication No. 2014/0360394; U.S. patent application No. 2015/0183211; U.S. patent application publication No. 2015/0217559; WIPO publication No. wo 2014/006517; WIPO publication No. wo 2014/008544; WIPO publication No. wo 2013/113616; WIPO publication No. wo 2014/108489; and WIPO publication No. wo 2014/128200, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In offset printing, one or more printing plates having image areas are attached to a plate cylinder (or print cylinder) of a decorator. The image area may include an ink receiving area and an area that does not receive ink. The inking assembly transfers ink to the printing plate on the plate cylinder. Ink adheres to the ink-receiving areas of each printing plate. The decorator may have a plurality of plate cylinders with inking assemblies to transfer different color inks to printing plates affixed to each plate cylinder. For example, decorators used to decorate metal containers typically have four to nine plate cylinders, each having an associated ink assembly.

Each inking assembly transfers a particular color of ink onto the printing plate of a single associated plate cylinder. The inking assembly typically includes an ink reservoir and an ink blade positioned along the outer surface of the ink roller. The amount of ink transferred to the ink roller and subsequently to the printing plate is adjusted by changing the gap between the edge of the ink blade and the outer surface of the ink roller. The ink blade may be divided into a plurality of individual sections referred to as blade sections.

The gap between the edge of the ink blade and the outer surface of the ink roller may be adjusted along the length of the ink roller by movement of an ink key interconnected with the ink blade. More specifically, the ink key may be advanced to bring a portion of the edge of the ink blade closer to the outer surface of the ink roller to reduce the amount of ink transferred to the portion of the ink roller. Similarly, the ink key may be removed to move the edge of the ink blade further away from the outer surface of the ink roller to increase the amount of ink transferred to the portion of the ink roller. Some prior art ink blade assemblies are described in U.S. patent No.4,000,695, U.S. patent No.4,008,664, U.S. patent No.5,025,676, U.S. patent No.5,052,298, U.S. patent No.5,967,049, U.S. patent No.5,967,050, U.S. patent No.6,318,260, U.S. patent No.7,969,613, U.S. patent application publication No.2015/0128819, and U.S. patent application publication No.2015/0128821, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Another ink blade assembly is in "Quad

Digital ink system ", which may be selected from

https:// www.quadtechworld.com/downloads/brochures/Digital _ Ink _ System _ en.

After receiving the ink, the printing plate transfers at least some of its ink to a printing blanket (also referred to as a "transfer blanket" or "secondary transfer plate") that is attached to a blanket cylinder (also referred to as a "blanket cylinder", "print cylinder", or "segment wheel") of the decorator. Decorators used in the metal container industry typically have 2 to 12 printing blankets on a blanket cylinder. As the plate cylinder and blanket cylinder rotate in unison, each of the one or more printing plates contacts the printing blanket and transfers a particular color of ink to the printing blanket. When the ink and image have been transferred from the printing plate of each plate cylinder to the printing blanket, the final lithographic image is formed on the printing blanket. For example, if the decorator includes five plate cylinders, one printing plate of each of the five plate cylinders transfers ink and an image to a single printing blanket to form a lithographic image on the printing blanket. The metal container is then brought into rotating contact with the printing blanket of the blanket cylinder and the lithographic image is transferred from the printing blanket to the outer surface of the metal container.

Producing an acceptable finish on a metal container with prior art decorators depends on the skill and attention of the operator and requires considerable labor and associated costs. More specifically, for each production run in which a metallic container is decorated with a decorative pattern using a prior art decorator, the ink key of each inking assembly is set to an initial position, which takes a lot of time. Because some metal container production lines may print over 15 different decorations per day, decorators may stop producing for hours per day during a setup period to prepare the decorator to print different decorations. This is a considerable downtime and a considerable loss of productivity in view of the high production speeds at which metal container production lines are usually operated.

As understood by those skilled in the art, the initial position of the ink key may apply too much or too little ink to the portion of the printing plate. When this occurs, the decoration transferred to the metal container may be defective because one or more of the color, density, depth, alignment, and consistency of the decoration does not meet the target set by the consumer. Therefore, the decorator must stop production to adjust the position of the ink keys, resulting in further down time and loss of productivity.

The decorator operator may also periodically inspect the decorated metal container samples during a production run to determine if the decoration of the samples meets color, density, depth, alignment, and/or consistency targets. If the operator determines that the sample is defective, the operator must determine which of the plurality of ink keys of each inking assembly require adjustment, and how to adjust the ink keys, to produce an acceptable decoration. If the defect decoration includes ink from two or more different inking assemblies, it may be difficult to determine which ink keys to adjust to correct the defect. For example, if a portion of the decor is defective in color, the operator may have to increase the amount of first ink transferred to an axial portion of a first inker roller of a first inking assembly and decrease the amount of second ink transferred to a corresponding axial portion of a second inker roller of a second inking assembly.

In addition, the inking rollers, printing plates and printing blankets may wear and need to be adjusted or replaced during a production run. Thus, the amount of ink transferred to the exterior surface of the metal container during the decoration process may vary during the production run, thereby changing decoration parameters such as color, density, depth, degree of alignment, and consistency. Therefore, it is necessary to frequently check the decor formed by known decorators during a production run and periodically adjust the ink keys to ensure the quality and consistency desired by the consumer.

It takes a lot of time to manually identify defective decors and then manually adjust the decorator. Due to the high speed of the beverage container production line, hundreds or even thousands of defectively decorated metal containers may be produced before the operator identifies a problem and then properly adjusts the ink keys. Thus, the decorators of the prior art typically produce a large number of scrap metal containers with defective decorations. In addition, after identifying a defective decor, the operator may turn off the decorator while adjusting the ink keys or other elements of the decorator. This wastes valuable production time and can delay the operation of downstream production equipment due to the lack of decorated metal containers.

Adjusting the ink keys of prior art decorators is difficult and can be dangerous. Some ink keys are difficult to reach. Thus, the operator may be required to at least partially remove the decorator and use a tool to change the position of the ink keys. The tool used to adjust the ink keys may inadvertently damage the decorator. In addition, tools used by the operator may be inadvertently misplaced or left in the decorator assembly, requiring additional downtime and associated lost production costs. In addition, the operator may be injured when touching the decorator to adjust the ink keys.

Due to limitations associated with existing methods and apparatus for decorating metal containers, there is an unmet need for an apparatus and method for automatically monitoring and adjusting settings of a decorator that generates less waste, requires less operator time, and is less susceptible to human error than known decorators without sacrificing production efficiency or image quality in a high-speed beverage container production system.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides various means, instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium, and methods for decorating metal containers in a cost-effective, fast, and reliable manner. One aspect of the present invention is a closed-loop decorator assembly and system that includes a control system that can detect defective decorations on cylindrical metal containers. When the control system detects a defective decoration, the control system may determine the cause of the defect. The control system may then automatically correct the defect. Additionally or alternatively, the control system may alert the operator that a particular adjustment is required. If the cause of the defect can be corrected by adjusting the amount of ink transferred to the metal container, in one embodiment, the control system can send a signal to adjust at least one ink blade to correct the defective decoration on a subsequent metal container. In addition, a signal may be sent to equipment on the production line to reject any containers having defective decorations. Defective decorations may include, but are not limited to: color change, ink density, ink thickness, ink color, incorrect location of marks, and decorative quality. In one embodiment, the control system may automatically stop the production line when the control system is unable to correct the defect.

Another aspect of the invention is a decorator that includes at least one sensor in communication with a control system. The sensors collect or acquire data relating to the decoration on the metal container. The control system uses the data received from the sensors to determine whether the decoration is defective. If the control system determines that the decor or a portion of the decor is defective, the control system uses the data to adjust one or more ink blades to change the amount of ink transferred to the inker rollers of the inking assembly. At least one sensor may collect optical and other types of data related to the decoration on the metal container. The sensor is operable to collect data of sufficient resolution to identify defects in the decor. In one embodiment, the sensor is a camera. In another embodiment, the sensor is operable to collect three-dimensional data relating to the decoration.

In one embodiment, the sensor collects data about a decoration formed on the cylindrical body of the metal container. The sensor may collect data as the metal container is rotated about the longitudinal axis such that the sensor collects data about the entire outer cylindrical surface of the metal container. In another embodiment, the at least one sensor comprises three or more sensors to collect data about the cylindrical surface of the metal container. Optionally, the three or more sensors are substantially evenly spaced about the longitudinal axis of the metal container. The sensors may collect data substantially simultaneously. In one embodiment, the decorator includes four sensors, each sensor collecting data related to at least about 25% of the cylindrical surface. In another embodiment, each of the four sensors collects about 30% of the data about the cylindrical surface. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the devices and methods described herein may be used with any type of surface or vessel, such as an end cap or closed end wall, and are not limited to cylindrical portions of metal vessels.

Optionally, the light source may be associated with one or more sensors. The light source may continuously generate light. Alternatively, the light source may generate light periodically, such as a strobe light. In this manner, the light source may generate light while the associated sensor is collecting data related to the decoration on the metal container.

In one embodiment, at least one sensor collects data from a target area of the cylindrical surface. Alternatively, a target area may be associated with each ink blade of the decorator. The decorator may include 20 to 80 individual ink blades. For example, the decorator may include four to eight inking assemblies. Each inking assembly may comprise 5 to 10 ink blades to adjust the amount of ink supplied to 5 to 10 axial portions of the inking roller of the inking assembly. Thus, at least one sensor may collect data from up to 20 to 80 different target areas of the cylindrical surface. In this manner, the at least one sensor may collect data related to the ink regulated by each individual ink blade of the decorator. In one embodiment, the sensor may distinguish a change in ink density within the decoration on the metal container. The control system may use the sensor data to determine the location of the ink density change on the cylindrical body of the container. By determining the axial portion of the cylindrical body of the container associated with the location of the ink density change, the control system can determine the ink blade of one of the four to eight inking assemblies that caused the ink density change. The control system may then send a signal to an actuator associated with the ink blade to change the position of the ink blade to correct for defective decoration caused by the ink density variations.

Another aspect of the invention is a control system operable to control a decorator. The control system includes instructions to determine how to adjust at least one ink blade of the inking assembly to correct for defective decoration. The control system may receive data collected by the sensors regarding the decoration on the metal container. The control system may determine whether the decoration is defective by comparing the sensor data with target information for one or more printing parameters. The printing parameters may include at least one of color, density, thickness, orientation, and consistency of the decoration. When the decoration is defective, the control system is operable to send a signal to an actuator associated with the at least one ink blade that requires adjustment. The signal causes the actuator to move the ink blade toward or away from the ink roller of the inking assembly. In this way, the control system adjusts the gap between the ink blade and the ink roller to vary the amount of ink applied to the relevant axial portion of the ink roller. The sensor may collect data about the entire outer surface of the cylindrical body of the metal container. In one embodiment, the sensors include 3 to 5 sensors positioned to account for the quality of the decoration across the cylindrical body of the metal container. In one embodiment, the control system compares the sensor data to images stored in a memory of the control system. In another embodiment, the image is a decoration without defects. In one embodiment, the control system compares portions of the sensor data to corresponding portions of the acceptable decorative image stored in memory. In one embodiment, the control system may also stop the decorator in response to determining that the decor is defective. More specifically, in one embodiment, the control system includes instructions to stop the decorator after determining that the predetermined number of metal containers include a defective decor. In another embodiment, the control system includes instructions to stop the decorator after identifying the predetermined cause of the defective decor. For example, the control system may include instructions to stop the decorator if the defective decor is not associated with an improper amount of ink transferred to the metal container. In another example, the control system may include instructions to stop the decorator after determining that the defective decor is associated with one or more of: defective ink, printing plate, transfer blanket, undetermined cause, and improper position or alignment of a portion of the decoration.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a decorator having an inking assembly. Optionally, the decorator includes a plurality of inking assemblies. The inking assembly includes one or more ink blades that are radially adjustable relative to the ink roller. Thus, at least a portion of each ink blade may be moved closer to or further away from the ink roller. In one embodiment, each ink blade may optionally be axially movable relative to the ink roller. In this way, the amount of ink (or density, thickness) transferred from the ink reservoir to each axial portion of the ink roller is adjustable. In one embodiment, each ink blade is pivotable relative to the ink roller. Alternatively, in another embodiment, each ink blade may be linearly movable toward and away from the ink roller.

As understood by those skilled in the art, movement of the ink blade may be selectively provided by various mechanisms. In one embodiment, the movement of the ink blade is generally controlled by a control system. The ink blade typically moves in response to a force. In one embodiment, the force may be generated by one or more of electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and magnetic energy.

In one embodiment, the movement of the one or more ink blades is generally provided by an actuator. In another embodiment, an actuator is associated with each individual ink blade. In another embodiment, multiple actuators may be associated with one ink blade. In one embodiment, the actuator activates a force transverse to the longitudinal axis of the associated ink blade. In this manner, the ink blade or selected portions of the ink blade pivot or bend relative to the ink roller. In another embodiment, the actuator activates a force generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the associated ink blade. In this embodiment, the ink blade moves linearly and generally parallel to the blade axis toward or away from the ink roller. The actuators may be controlled by the control system of the decorator.

In one embodiment, the movement of the ink blade is controlled by a control system. In one embodiment, the control system includes non-transitory computer readable instructions stored in memory that control movement of the ink blade. Optionally, the control system includes instructions to receive data from sensors associated with the decoration on the metal container. In one embodiment, the sensor comprises a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) or a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. In one embodiment, the sensor comprises a plurality of individual sensing elements. Each sensing element collects data relating to a portion of the metal container. In one embodiment, each sensor element collects data pixels.

The control system includes instructions to analyze sensor data related to the decor. In one embodiment, the control system includes instructions to compare the sensor data to stored data. In one embodiment, the stored data is associated with at least one acceptable decoration. Acceptable decorations may be scanned and stored in a memory accessible to the control system. In one embodiment, the acceptable trim is scanned at a resolution such that the stored data associated with the acceptable trim includes a plurality of pixels, which may be based on a number of individual sensing elements of the sensor. More specifically, acceptable decorations may be stored in the memory at a resolution equal to the resolution of the data collected by the sensors. In another embodiment, the acceptable decorations are stored at a resolution different from the resolution of the sensor. Thus, in another embodiment, acceptable ornamentation is stored at a higher resolution or a lower resolution than the resolution of the data collected by the sensor. In one embodiment, the stored data is in a computer database. The database may be stored in a memory of the control system. Optionally, the control system accesses the database via a network connection.

In one embodiment, the control system includes instructions to determine that the decor is defective when the sensor data differs from the stored data by a predetermined amount. In one embodiment, the control system compares portions of the sensor data to corresponding portions of the stored data. If the control system determines that the multiple portions of sensor data are different from the multiple portions of stored data, the decoration is defective. Alternatively, the control system will determine that the decoration is defective when a predetermined percentage of the portion of the sensor data is different from the corresponding portion of the stored data.

In one embodiment, the control system includes instructions to automatically adjust at least one ink blade to correct for defective decoration. For example, in one embodiment, the control system includes instructions to send signals to the actuators. In one embodiment, the signal causes the actuator to move the ink blade in a particular direction to change the amount of ink transferred to the ink roller. Thus, the control system may automatically adjust the at least one ink blade without input from an operator. In another embodiment, the signal causes an actuator to move one or more of the inker, plate cylinder, printing plate, blanket cylinder, transfer blanket, and support element in a particular direction to correct for the defective decoration.

In one embodiment, when the control system determines that the decor is defective, the control system sends an alert to the operator of the decorator. In one embodiment, the control system presents an alert on a display of the control system. In another embodiment, the alarm may include an audible portion, such as an alarm, siren, or voice message. In another embodiment, the alert may be sent to the user device over a network connection. Thus, in one embodiment, the operator may receive the alert on a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or another portable device. The alert may include information about the defective decoration. Optionally, the alert may include information relating to adjustment of at least one component of the decorator to correct for defective decorations. For example, the alarm may provide information regarding the adjustment of one or more of the ink blade, inker roller, plate cylinder, printing plate, blanket cylinder, transfer blanket, or support element determined by the control system to correct for defective decoration. In one embodiment, the alert is presented to the operator on a display of the control system.

In one embodiment, an operator may use an input device of the control system to approve, reject, or change an adjustment of at least one component of the decorator planned by the control system to correct a defective decor. More specifically, the operator may input to the control system to approve (or confirm) the planned adjustment, to change the planned adjustment, or to reject the planned adjustment of the at least one ink blade. In one embodiment, the operator may make input by contact with the display. In another embodiment, the operator input may be made with a mouse or other pointer of the control system. In yet another embodiment, keyboard typing may be used for input.

In one embodiment, the control system includes instructions to automatically adjust at least one component of the decorator after a predetermined period of time if the operator overrules or cancels the planned adjustment. In yet another embodiment, the control system includes instructions to automatically adjust at least one component of the decorator after a predetermined period of time if the operator overrules the planned adjustment.

In one embodiment, each ink blade has a width of about 0.5 inches to about 1.5 inches. Thus, a decorator having five or six ink blades per inking assembly can decorate a cylindrical body of a metal container up to about 7 inches in height. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the inking assembly of the present invention can be used to decorate larger cylindrical objects or containers. In one embodiment, the ink blade of each inking assembly has a substantially uniform width. Alternatively, the ink blades of each inking assembly may have different widths. In yet another embodiment, the inking assembly of the decorator has 5 to 10 ink blades.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a decorator that includes an ejector. The ejector removes from the conveyor the metal containers identified by the control system as having defective decorations.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a control system for a decorator that is capable of determining whether an acceptable decoration and decoration quality of a metal container falls within predetermined quality standards. Once the control system has established an acceptable decor, the control system may detect a different decor from the acceptable decor. In this manner, the control system may determine that the metal container includes unacceptable or defective decorations.

One aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for decorating a metal container. Devices generally include, but are not limited to: (1) an inking assembly including an inker, a plurality of ink blades, a reservoir of ink, and an actuator that moves each ink blade relative to the inker to adjust the amount of ink transferred from the reservoir to the inker; (2) a plate cylinder including printing plates in a predetermined alignment with respect to the inker rollers such that the printing plates each receive at least some ink from the inker rollers; (3) a blanket cylinder including a transfer blanket in a predetermined alignment relative to the plate cylinder such that the transfer blanket receives at least some ink from the printing plate; (4) a support element for receiving the metal container from the conveyor and moving the metal container into contact with a transfer blanket of the blanket cylinder to transfer at least some of the ink from the transfer blanket to the metal container to form a decoration on an outer surface of the metal container; (5) at least one sensor for collecting or acquiring data relating to the decoration on the outer surface of the metal container; (6) a control system that receives data from the at least one sensor and determines whether the decor includes a defect, wherein if the decor includes a defect, the control system sends a signal to the actuator to adjust the ink blade to correct the defect. In one embodiment, an actuator is associated with each ink blade. In one embodiment, adjusting the ink blade changes the amount of ink transferred to the ink roller. In another embodiment, the support element comprises a plurality of stations. Each station is operable to receive a metal container. In another embodiment, the station comprises a mandrel. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a plurality of inking assemblies. Each of the plurality of inking assemblies is operable to transfer ink to a printing plate.

Optionally, in one embodiment of the invention, the apparatus further comprises an ejector in communication with the control system. In response to receiving the signal from the control system, the ejector removes the metal container having the defective trim from the conveyor.

In one embodiment, the sensor comprises a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) or a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. In another embodiment, the at least one sensor is operable to obtain data regarding one or more of: (A) the color of the decoration; (B) the density of the decoration; (C) the depth or thickness of the decoration; (D) the degree of registration of the decoration; and (F) uniformity of decoration. In one embodiment, the sensor is a camera. Alternatively, the device may comprise one to five sensors, each adapted to obtain one type of data about the decoration, such as colour, density, depth or thickness, degree of alignment and consistency. In another embodiment, the apparatus includes three to five sensors to obtain data about the cylindrical body of the metal container. In one embodiment, at least one sensor obtains data from a plurality of target areas of the outer surface of the metal container. In another embodiment, each of the plurality of target areas corresponds to any area of the outer surface of the metal container associated with one of the ink blades. In one embodiment, at least one target area is associated with ink of one inking assembly.

In another embodiment, the control system is operable to determine a defect comprising an error in at least one of: (i) the color of the decoration; (ii) the decoration density; (iii) the thickness of the decoration; (iv) the degree of registration of the decoration; (v) uniformity of decoration. In response to detecting the defect in the decoration, the control system is operable to change a position of at least one of the plurality of ink blades while the apparatus is in operation to decorate the metal container. The control system may send signals to actuators associated with one of the ink blades to selectively move the ink blade to a predetermined position relative to the ink roller. In one embodiment, the distance between the ink blade and the axial portion of the ink roller is varied.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of sensing and correcting anomalies in a decoration applied to an exterior surface of a container. The method includes, but is not limited to: (1) providing a container; (2) decorating the container with a decorator; (3) obtaining data relating to the decoration on the outer surface of the container by means of at least one sensor; (4) determining, by the control system, whether the decoration includes an anomaly; and (5) if the decoration includes an anomaly, sending, by the control system, a signal to the decorator to change at least one of the color and density of subsequent decorations. In one embodiment, the container is a metal container that includes a closed end wall and a body portion extending from the closed end wall. In one embodiment, the body portion is substantially cylindrical. Optionally, the method may further comprise sending an alert to an operator. In one embodiment, the alert is presented on a display of the control system. In another embodiment, the alert includes information about the anomaly. In one embodiment, the information about the anomaly comprises an image of the outer surface of the container obtained by at least one sensor. In another embodiment, the alert includes information about the signal sent by the control system to the decorator.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a decorator includes: (a) an inking assembly including an inker, a plurality of ink blades, a reservoir of ink, and an actuator that moves the ink blades relative to the inker to adjust the amount of ink transferred from the reservoir to the inker; (b) a plate cylinder comprising printing plates in a predetermined alignment relative to the inker such that each printing plate receives at least some ink from the inker; (c) a blanket cylinder including transfer blankets in a predetermined alignment with respect to the plate cylinder such that each transfer blanket receives at least some ink from one of the printing plates of the plate cylinder; and (d) a support element for receiving the container from the conveyor and moving the container into contact with a transfer blanket of the blanket cylinder to transfer at least some of the ink from the transfer blanket to the container to form a decoration on an outer surface of the container. In one embodiment, an actuator is associated with each ink blade. In another embodiment, the support apparatus comprises a plurality of stations, each station operable to receive a container. In yet another embodiment, the decorator includes two to twelve inking assemblies. Each inking assembly is operable to transfer ink to a printing plate of the plate cylinder.

In one embodiment, the ink roller includes a plurality of axial portions, each defined by an ink blade. In one embodiment, each axial portion of the ink roller includes a cylindrical portion of the curved surface of the ink roller.

In one embodiment, the signal causes an actuator associated with the ink blade to move the ink blade in a particular direction to change the amount of ink transferred from the ink reservoir to the axial portion of the inker. In another embodiment, the signal causes the actuator to rotate in a first predetermined direction to move the ink blade of the inking assembly to a position that increases or decreases the amount of ink transferred to the axial portion of the ink roller. In yet another embodiment, the signal causes the decorator to change at least one of color, density, thickness, alignment, and consistency of subsequent decorations.

In another embodiment, the signal causes at least one of the inking assembly, inker rollers, plate cylinder, and blanket cylinder to move in a particular direction. In yet another embodiment, the control system may send a signal to the actuator to change a position of at least one of a printing plate on the plate cylinder and a transfer blanket on the blanket cylinder. Optionally, in one embodiment, the method further comprises sending, by the control system, a signal to the ejector to remove the container with the abnormal decoration from the conveyor associated with the decorator.

In one embodiment, the at least one sensor includes one to five sensors. In another embodiment, one to five sensors are arranged to obtain data about the cylindrical body substantially simultaneously. Optionally, one to five sensors are arranged around the cylindrical body of the metal container. In one embodiment, the at least one sensor comprises two to five sensors, the sensors being arranged substantially uniformly about the longitudinal axis of the metal container. In one embodiment, each of the one to five sensors may obtain the same type of data. In another embodiment, one to five sensors may obtain different types of data. For example, in one embodiment, the at least one sensor comprises one or more of: (i) a first sensor for obtaining data on the decoration color; (ii) a second sensor for obtaining data regarding the density of the decoration; (iii) a third sensor for obtaining data regarding the decoration depth; (iv) a fourth sensor for obtaining data regarding the degree of trim alignment; and (v) a fifth sensor for obtaining data on cosmetic consistency.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises (6) changing a position of at least one ink blade in response to receiving a signal from the control system; (7) providing a second container; (8) decorating the second container with a decorator; (9) waiting a predetermined amount of time for the second decorator to reach the at least one sensor; (10) obtaining data regarding decoration on an outer surface of the second container; and (11) determining, by the control system, whether the decoration on the second container includes an anomaly.

Another aspect of the invention is a control system for monitoring and identifying decoration anomalies and taking action to correct the anomalies. The control system includes instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed by a processor of the control system, cause the control system to modify and change physical parameters and devices to perform the methods described herein.

Yet another aspect is a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for causing a processor of a control system to perform a method of automatically correcting anomalies in a decor formed by a decorator on a cylindrical surface of a metal container. Instructions include, but are not limited to: (1) instructions for receiving data relating to a decoration formed by a decorator on a cylindrical surface of a metal container; (2) instructions to determine whether the decoration includes an exception; and (3) if the decor includes an anomaly, determining an instruction to adjust the decorator to correct the anomaly. In one embodiment, the anomaly may be related to at least one of color, density, thickness, alignment, and consistency of the decoration. Optionally, in another embodiment, the instructions may further include instructions for determining a cause of the anomalous decoration. More specifically, in one embodiment, the instructions include instructions for determining whether the anomalous decoration is associated with one or more of: (i) an improper amount of ink; (ii) defective ink; (iii) a printing plate or transfer blanket of a decorator; and (iv) improper alignment of the components of the decorator. In one embodiment, the control system may determine, based on the received data, that the anomalous decoration is associated with a printing plate or transfer blanket that is defective, worn, or improperly aligned.

In one embodiment, the instructions further include instructions to signal the decorator to correct for anomalous decoration. In another embodiment, the signal may cause the decorator to change at least one of color, density, thickness, alignment, and consistency of subsequent decorations formed by the decorator. More specifically, in one embodiment, the signal may activate an actuator to move a component of the decorator in a particular direction. In one embodiment, the signal moves an actuator such that the amount of ink transferred to the inker of the decorator is changed.

In one embodiment, the instructions further include instructions to send a signal to an actuator to adjust the ink blade. In one embodiment, the signal causes the actuator to move the ink blade in a particular direction relative to an ink roller of the decorator to change an amount of ink applied to a portion of the ink roller. In another embodiment, the signal causes the actuator to move the at least one ink blade of the decorator to a position that increases or decreases the amount of ink transferred to a portion of the ink roller.

In another embodiment, the instructions further include instructions to send a signal to an actuator of the decorator to move at least one of an inking assembly, an ink roller, a plate cylinder, a printing plate on the plate cylinder, a blanket cylinder, and a transfer blanket of the decorator in a particular direction.

In one embodiment, the data is obtained by at least one sensor. Optionally, the at least one sensor comprises three to five sensors substantially evenly spaced around the circumference of the metal container.

In one embodiment, the instructions to determine whether the adornments include exceptions further include instructions to compare the received data to stored data associated with acceptable adornments. The method may optionally include instructions to determine that the decoration includes an anomaly when the received data varies from the stored data by a predetermined amount. In one embodiment, the instructions further include instructions to compare the plurality of portions of the received data with a corresponding plurality of portions of the stored data. Alternatively, the instructions may include instructions to determine that the decoration includes an anomaly when the predetermined percentage of the portion of the received data is not the same as the corresponding portion of the stored data.

In one embodiment, the stored data is stored in a database. The database may include a plurality of fields associated with acceptable decorations. In one embodiment, each field is associated with an ink blade of the decorator. In another embodiment, at least one field of the database includes information relating to an object that is acceptable for decoration. The target may include one or more of ink color, ink consistency, ink density, ink thickness, orientation of the decoration, and alignment of the decoration.

Alternatively, the stored data may include sensor data obtained on a plurality of metal containers including acceptable decorations. More specifically, in one embodiment, the control system includes instructions for receiving data obtained by sensors associated with a plurality of metal containers having acceptable decorations. The instructions may include instructions for the control system to analyze the sensor data and instructions for storing the sensor data in a field of a database.

Yet another aspect of the invention is a non-transitory computer readable medium disposed on a storage medium and having instructions that, when executed by a processor of a control system, cause the processor to perform a method of sensing and correcting anomalies in a decor formed by a decorator on a cylindrical surface of a container. The instructions include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: (1) instructions for receiving data relating to a decoration formed on a cylindrical surface of a container; (2) determining whether the decoration contains an indication of an anomaly; and (3) instructions to send a signal to the decorator to change the subsequent decoration formed by the decorator. In one embodiment, data is received from a sensor. In another embodiment, the anomaly is related to at least one of color, density, thickness, alignment, and consistency of the decoration. In yet another embodiment, the signal causes the decorator to change at least one of: the subsequent decoration formed by the decorator has (i) color, (ii) density, (iii) thickness, (iv) degree of alignment, and (v) consistency.

Optionally, the instructions may further include instructions to compare data received from the sensor to data of acceptable decor. In one embodiment, the instructions further include instructions for determining whether the anomalous decoration is associated with one or more of: (A) an improper amount of ink; (B) defective ink; (C) defective printing plates or transfer blankets of decorators; (D) improper alignment of the components of the decorator. In one embodiment, the instructions may further include instructions for determining that the anomalous decoration is associated with an unknown cause.

In one embodiment, the signal causes at least one of an inking assembly of the decorator, an ink roller, a plate cylinder, a printing plate on the plate cylinder, a blanket cylinder, and a transfer blanket to move in a particular direction. In another embodiment, the signal causes the actuator to move the ink blade of the decorator to a position that increases or decreases the amount of ink transferred to a portion of the ink roller. In yet another embodiment, the signal causes actuators associated with one or more of an inking assembly of the decorator, rollers, a plate cylinder, a printing plate on the plate cylinder, a blanket cylinder, and a transfer blanket to move in a particular direction.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an inking assembly for a decorator. Inking components typically include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: (1) an ink roller; (2) an ink reservoir; (3) a plurality of ink blades positioned adjacent to the ink roller, each ink blade defining an axial portion of the ink roller; and (4) an actuator associated with the ink blade, wherein the actuator is operable to change a position of the ink blade relative to the ink roller to adjust an amount of ink transferred to the ink roller in response to a signal received from the control system. In one embodiment, a portion of each ink blade proximate to the ink roller includes a longitudinal portion and an end portion extending from the longitudinal portion. In one embodiment, the longitudinal portion and the end portion have a substantially planar shape. Optionally, the end portion extends from the longitudinal portion at an angle of about 80 ° to about 100 °.

In one embodiment, an actuator is associated with each ink blade. In another embodiment, each actuator includes a shaft interconnected with an associated ink blade. Alternatively, the shaft may be threadably interconnected to an associated ink blade such that rotating the shaft in a predetermined direction brings an associated ink blade closer to or further from the ink roller. In one embodiment, the actuator is a solenoid.

Optionally, the inking assembly can further include a potentiometer associated with each of the plurality of ink blades. In one embodiment, the potentiometer is operable to measure movement of the ink blade relative to the ink roller. In another embodiment, in one embodiment, a potentiometer may detect rotation of the shaft. In one embodiment, the potentiometer includes a first gear that engages a second gear associated with the actuator.

Although generally referred to herein as "metal containers," "beverage containers," "cans," and "containers," it should be understood that the present invention may be used to decorate containers of any size or shape, including but not limited to beverage cans, beverage bottles, and aerosol containers. Thus, the term "container" is intended to cover any type or shape of container for any product and is not particularly limited to beverage containers, such as soft drink or beer cans. The container may also be in any manufactured state and may be formed by a drawing and ironing (ironing) process or by an impact extrusion process. Thus, the present invention may be used to decorate "cups" that are subsequently formed into finished containers, "bottle preforms" that are subsequently formed into metal bottles, or "tubes" that are formed into aerosol container bodies.

The term "metal" or "metallic" as used herein refers to any metallic material that may be used to form a container, including, but not limited to, aluminum, steel, tin, and any combination thereof. However, it should be understood that the apparatus and method of the present invention may be used to decorate containers formed of any material, including paper, plastic, and glass, in various forms and in various embodiments.

The method and apparatus of the present invention may be used with any type or kind of ink. For example, one or more "specialty inks" may be used in the decorator of the present disclosure, including pigmented inks, thermochromic inks, photochromic inks, scented thermochromic inks, fluorescent inks, UV inks, black inks, infrared inks, phosphorescent inks, pressure sensitive inks, tactile inks, thermo-tactile inks, leuco dyes, matte inks, and any other type of ink, dye, or varnish that can change appearance, color, phase, and/or texture in response to temperature changes or exposure to light or pressure.

As used herein, the phrases "at least one," "one or more," and/or "are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions "at least one of a, B, and C", "A, B or at least one of C", "A, B and one or more of C", "A, B or one or more of C" and "A, B and/or C" means a alone, B alone, C, A and B together, a and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, dimensions, conditions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about".

The term "a" or "an" entity, as used herein, refers to one or more of that entity. Thus, the terms "a", "an", "one or more" and "at least one" may be used interchangeably herein.

The use of "including," "comprising," or "having" and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Thus, the terms "comprising," "including," or "having," and variations thereof, are used interchangeably herein.

It should be understood that the term "device" as used herein should be given the broadest interpretation in terms of 35u.s.c., Section 112 (f). Accordingly, the claims including the term "means" are intended to cover all of the structures, materials, or acts described herein, as well as all equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials, or acts and their equivalents are intended to include all those described in the summary of the invention, the description of the drawings, the detailed description, the abstract, and the claims themselves.

The term "automatic" and variations thereof as used herein refers to any process or operation that is completed without substantial human input when the process or operation is performed. However, if an input is received before a process or operation is performed, the process or operation may be automatic, even if the performance of the process or operation uses substantial or insubstantial human input. Human input is considered material if such input affects how the process or operation performs. Human input that consents to the performance of a process or operation is not considered "material".

The term "bus" and variations thereof as used herein may refer to a subsystem that transfers information and/or data between various components. A bus generally refers to a collection of communication hardware interfaces, interconnects, bus architectures, standards, and/or protocols that define a communication scheme for a communication system and/or communication network. A bus may also refer to a portion of the communication hardware that connects the communication hardware with other components of a corresponding communication network. The bus may be for a wired network, such as a physical bus, or a wireless network, such as an antenna or a portion of hardware that couples the communication hardware to the antenna. The bus architecture supports a defined format in which information and/or data is arranged for transmission and reception over a communication network. The protocol may define the communication format and rules of the bus architecture.

"communication modality" may refer to any protocol or standard defined or specific communication session or interaction, such as Voice over Internet protocol ("VoIP"), cellular communications (e.g., IS-95, 1G, 2G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G/IMT-Advanced standards, 3GPP, WIMAX^TMGSM, CDMA2000, EDGE, 1xEVDO, iDEN, GPRS, HSPDA, TDMA, UMA, UMTS, ITU-R and 5G), Bluetooth^TMText or instant messages (e.g., AIM, Blauk, eBuddy, Gadu-Gadu, IBM Lotus Sametime, ICQ, iMessage, IMVU, Lync, MXit, Paltalk, Skype, Tencent QQ, Windows Live Messenger^TMOr Microsoft Network (MSN) Messenger^TMWirelub, Xfire and Yahoo! Messenger^TM) E-mail, Twitter (e.g., tweeting), Digital Service Protocol (DSP), etc.

As used herein, the term "communication system" or "communication network" and variations thereof may refer to a collection of communication components capable of one or more of the following: transmission, relaying, interconnecting, controlling or otherwise manipulating information or data from at least one transmitter to at least one receiver. As such, the communication may include a range of systems that support point-to-point or broadcast of information or data. A communication system may refer to a collection of individual communication hardware and interconnections associated with and connecting the various communication hardware. Communication hardware may refer to dedicated communication hardware or may refer to a processor coupled with a communication device (i.e., antenna) and running software capable of transmitting and/or receiving signals within a communication system using the communication device. An interconnect refers to some type of wired or wireless communication link that connects various components within a communication system, such as communication hardware. A communication network may refer to a specific arrangement of a communication system with individual communication hardware and a collection of interconnections with some definable network topology. The communication network may include wired and/or wireless networks having a pre-provisioned to ad hoc network configuration.

The term "computer-readable medium" as used herein refers to any tangible storage and/or transmission medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) or magnetic or optical disks. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, a Read Only Memory (ROM), a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) and Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), a FLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium such as a memory card, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer can read. Digital file attachments to email or other self-contained information archives or sets of archives are considered distribution media equivalent to tangible storage media. When the computer-readable medium is configured as a database, it should be understood that the database may be any type of database, such as a relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include a tangible storage or distribution medium and prior art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which the software implementations of the present disclosure are stored. It should be noted that any computer-readable medium that is not a signal transmission may be considered non-transitory.

As used herein, the term display and variations thereof may be used interchangeably and may be any panel and/or area of an output device that may display information to an operator or user. The display may include, but is not limited to, one or more control panels, instrument housings, indicators, meters, lights, computers, screens, displays, heads up display, HUD units, and graphical user interfaces.

The term "module" as used herein refers to any known or later developed hardware, software, firmware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, or combination of hardware and software that is capable of performing the functionality associated with that element.

The term "desktop" refers to a metaphor used to depict a system. A desktop is generally considered a "surface" that may include pictures, so-called icons, widgets, folders, documents, and other graphical items that may activate and/or display applications, windows, cabinets, files, folders, and other graphical items. Icons may generally be selected to activate tasks through user interface interaction to allow a user to execute applications and/or perform other operations.

The term "display" refers to a portion of a physical screen used to display computer output to a user.

The term "display image" refers to an image produced on a display. A typical display image is a window or desktop. The display image may occupy all or a portion of the display.

The term "electronic address" may refer to any contactable address, including telephone numbers, instant message handles, email addresses, uniform resource locators ("URLs"), global universal identifiers ("GUIDs"), uniform resource identifiers ("URIs"), address of records ("AORs"), electronic aliases in databases, and the like, as well as combinations thereof.

The terms "screen," "touchscreen," or "touch-sensitive display" refer to a physical structure that enables a user to interact with a computer by touching areas on the screen and providing information to the user through the display. The touch screen may sense user contact in a number of different ways, such as by changes in electrical parameters (e.g., resistance or capacitance), acoustic wave changes, infrared radiation proximity detection, light change detection, and so forth. For example, in a resistive touch screen, separate conductive and resistive metal layers in the screen typically pass current. When the user touches the screen, the two layers touch at the location of the contact, thereby registering the change in the electric field and calculating the coordinates of the location of the contact. In capacitive touch screens, the capacitive layer stores charge that is released to the user upon contact with the touch screen, resulting in a reduction in the charge of the capacitive layer. The reduction is measured and the contact location coordinates are determined. In a surface acoustic wave touch screen, an acoustic wave is transmitted through the screen, and the acoustic wave is disturbed by user contact. The receiving transducer detects the user contact instance and determines the contact location coordinates.

The term "window" refers to a generally rectangular display image on at least a portion of the display that contains or provides different content than the rest of the screen. The window may occlude the desktop. The size and orientation of the window may be configurable by another module or by a user. When the window is expanded, the window may occupy substantially all of the display space on the screen.

As used herein, the terms "determine," "count," and "calculate," and variations thereof, are used interchangeably and include any type of method, process, mathematical operation or technique.

This summary is not intended to, and should not be construed as, representative of the full scope and ambit of the invention. Furthermore, references herein to "the invention" or aspects thereof should be understood to mean certain embodiments of the invention, and should not be construed as limiting all embodiments to the specific description. The present invention is illustrated in various levels of detail in the summary of the invention and in the figures and detailed description and is not intended to be limited in scope by the inclusion or exclusion of elements or components. Other aspects of the invention will become more apparent from the detailed description, particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of these embodiments. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the present disclosure or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein. Additionally, it should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a schematic flow diagram of a decorator depicting one embodiment of the present invention and also showing a metal container decorated by the decorator of the present invention;

FIG. 1A is another schematic flow diagram of another embodiment of the decorator of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a top plan view of various components of an inking assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a top plan view of an ink blade according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2C is a top plan view of another embodiment of the ink blade of the present invention, including a transverse groove defining a portion of the ink blade.

FIG. 2D is yet another top plan view of the ink blade of the present invention, including a plurality of individual blade segments;

FIG. 2E is another top plan view of an ink blade in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, with a plurality of ink channels;

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional side view of the inking assembly taken along line 3A-3A of FIG. 2A and illustrating a first gap between a blade section of the inking assembly and the ink roller;

FIG. 3B is another cross-sectional side view of the inking assembly taken along line 3B-3B of FIG. 2A and showing a second gap between another blade segment of the inking assembly and the ink roller, wherein the second gap has a length greater than the first gap;

3C, 3D are top views of the inking assembly of the present invention and generally illustrate the axial movement of the ink blade relative to the ink roller;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional front view of an inking assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the inking assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the inking assembly of FIG. 5, with some components removed for clarity;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional front view of the inking assembly of FIG. 4, taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a right side perspective cross-sectional view of the inking assembly of FIG. 4, taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of an ink blade and actuator of the inking assembly of FIG. 4;

10A, 10B are cross-sectional side views of an ink blade relative to an ink roller of the inking assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating the transfer of ink from the axial portion of the ink roller to the corresponding cylindrical portion of the metal container;

12A-12C are top plan views of sensors positioned about a longitudinal axis of a metal container to sense a cylindrical surface of the metal container at predetermined locations according to various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the control system of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storing sensor data;

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of a method for identifying acceptable decorations with a control system according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a process flow diagram of a method of identifying a cause of defective decoration; and

FIG. 17 is a process flow diagram depicting the automatic adjustment of a decorator to correct defects in the decoration on a metal container in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and is

Similar components and/or features may have the same reference numerals. The same type of components may be distinguished by following the reference label. If only reference numerals are used, the description applies to any one of the similar components having the same reference numerals. To assist in understanding one embodiment of the invention, the following list of parts and associated numbering in the drawings is provided:

numbering Component part

2 decorating device

4 first plate cylinder

6 printing plate of the first plate Cylinder

8 first inking assembly

10 ink roller of first inking assembly

11 ink line

12 second plate cylinder

14 printing plate of the second plate cylinder

16 second inking assembly

18 ink roller of second inking assembly

19 ink line

20 axial part of the inking roller

21 ink blade

22 ink blade

24 blade segment or portion

25 groove

26 ink

27 longitudinal edges of blade segments

28 ink key

29 ink channel

30 actuator

31 axle

Gap between 32 ink blade section and ink roller

33 screw thread

34 ink reservoir

35 ink blade edge

36 blanket cylinder

38 transfer blanket (or printing blanket)

40 outer surface of transfer blanket

42 support element

44 station for use in a support element for metal containers

46 control system

48 transmitter

49 sensor

50 sensor

51 Lamp

52 non-decorated metal container

54 decorated metal container

56 outer surface of metal container

57 cylindrical portion of vessel

58 decorating

59 target

60 metal container with defective decoration

62 ejector

64 upstream plant

66 downstream equipment

68 casting

70 mounting plate

72 Pivot block

74 side wall

76 Top plate

78 ink stick

79 rear panel

80 potentiometer

82 bus

84 CPU

86 input device

88 output device

90 storage device

94 computer readable storage media reader

94 communication system

96 work memory

98 processing acceleration unit

100 database

102 network

104 remote storage device/database

106 operating system

108 other codes

110 data structure

112 ellipse

114 ellipse

116 first data object

118 identifier

120 color (color of red)

122 density

124 thickness

126 position/alignment degree

128 consistency

130 others

132 record

134 second data object

140 method of programming a control system

142 start

144 to provide a metal container with decoration

146 sensing decoration

148 control system analyzes sensor data

150 control system stores sensor data

152 repeat

154 providing a metal container with defective decoration

155 sensing defective decoration

158 control system identifies defective decorations

160 end of

166 method for determining cause of defective decoration

168 start

170 receiving data from the sensors

172 determining whether the decoration is satisfactory

174 determine if an improper amount of ink has been transferred

176 to determine if defective ink is present

178 determine if there is a defective printing plate or transfer blanket

180 determine if the position or alignment of the decoration is not appropriate

182 undetermined defects

184 optional removal of defective metal containers

186 optionally sends an alert

188 end of

200 method for automatically adjusting decorator to correct defective decorators

202 start

204 move the ink key to the initial position

206 transfer ink to the axial portion of the ink roller

208 transfer ink to the printing plate

210 transfer ink from a printing plate to a transfer blanket

212 transfer ink from the transfer blanket to a metal container

214 wait for a predetermined period of time

216 sensing decoration on a metal container by at least one sensor

218 determining whether the decoration is satisfactory

220 optionally removing metal containers with defective decorations

222 send an alert

224 determine whether to continue the decoration run

226 adjusting at least one element of the decorator

228 transferring the decorated metal container to downstream equipment

230 determine whether the decoration production run should be continued

232 end of

Detailed Description

The present invention has significant benefits over a wide range of operation. It is the applicants' intention that the breadth of this specification and appended claims be accorded the scope and spirit of the disclosed invention, although some content may appear to be limited by language imposed by the requirements of specific examples disclosed. In order to familiarize those skilled in the relevant art(s) most closely related to the present invention, preferred embodiments illustrating the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention into practice are described herein by way of and with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification. The exemplary embodiments are described in detail without attempting to describe all of the various forms and modifications in which the present invention might be embodied. Accordingly, the embodiments described herein are illustrative, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments may be modified in various ways within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Referring now to fig. 1, a schematic flow diagram of the decorator 2 of the present invention is shown. The decorator 2 generally comprises: at least one plate cylinder 4, 12; a printing plate 6,14 interconnected with each plate cylinder 4, 12; at least one inking assembly 8,16 comprising an inking

roller

10,18 associated with each plate cylinder 4, 12; a blanket cylinder 36; a transfer blanket 38 interconnected to blanket cylinder 36; the support member 42; a control system 46; a sensor 50; and optionally, one or more of a lamp 51 and an ejector 62.

The inking

rollers

10,18 of each inking assembly 8,16 are in predetermined alignment with their associated plate cylinders 4, 12. The inking

rollers

10,18 of each inking assembly 8,16 transfer one colour of ink to the printing plates 6,14 of each plate cylinder 4, 12. The first inking assembly 8 transfers a first color or type of ink to the printing plates 6 of the first plate cylinder 4. Similarly, second inking assembly 16 transfers a second color or type of ink to printing plate 14 of second plate cylinder 12. It should be understood that decorator 2 may include any number of inking assemblies and plate cylinders to transfer multiple inks to blankets 38 of blanket cylinder 36. In one embodiment, decorator 2 includes two to eleven inking assemblies and associated plate cylinders.

In one embodiment, the

rollers

10,18 contact portions of the outer surface of the printing plates 6, 14. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the

rollers

10,18 do not contact the printing plates 6, 14. More specifically, the

inker rollers

10,18 transfer the ink 26 to one or more intermediate transfer rollers of the ink train (ink train)11, 19. The intermediate transfer rollers form the path through which ink is transferred from the

inker rollers

10,18 to the intermediate transfer rollers of the ink trains 11,19 and then to the printing plates 6, 14. Each

inker

10,18 may have an associated column of

ink

11, 19. The

inker rollers

10,18 contact the first transfer roller in each

ink train

11, 19. The printing plates 6,14 contact the final transfer roller in each

ink train

11, 19.

Any

suitable ink train

11,19 may be used with the decorator 2 of the present invention. The intermediate transfer rollers of the

ink columns

11,19 may have various diameters. Although only three intermediate transfer rollers are shown in the

ink columns

11,19, one skilled in the art will appreciate that any number of intermediate transfer rollers may be included in the

ink columns

11, 19. One example of an ink train that may be used with the decorator of the present disclosure is described in U.S. patent application publication 2017/0008270, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In one embodiment, the

inker rollers

10,18 rotate in a first direction when the plate cylinders 4,12 rotate in a second, opposite direction.

Referring now to FIG. 2A, a portion of an inking

assembly

8A or 16A according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The amount of ink 26 transferred by the

inking assemblies

8A, 16A to the printing plates 6,14 can be adjusted individually along the plurality of axial portions 20A-20L of each

ink roller

10, 18. More specifically, each inking

assembly

8A, 16A includes an ink blade 22 that meters ink 26 onto the

inker rollers

10, 18. In one embodiment, the ink blade 22 is continuous along the length of the

ink roller

10, 18. The section 24 of the ink blade 22 corresponds to one of the axial portions 20.

Referring now to fig. 2B, in one embodiment, ink blade 22A has a substantially planar shape. The portions 24A-24L of the ink blade 22A may move relative to the corresponding axial portions 20A-20L of the

ink rollers

10, 18. In one embodiment, the portion 24 of the ink blade 22A may bend in response to a force moving closer to or further away from the

ink roller

10, 18.

Alternatively, referring now to fig. 2C, the ink blade 22B includes a blade section 24 formed by a transverse cut or groove 25 through the ink blade 22B. The groove 25 extends along at least a portion of the width of the ink blade 22B. The blade sections 24 are individually adjustable relative to the

rollers

10, 18. Each blade section 24A-24L defines a respective axial portion 20A-20L of the

ink roller

10, 18. In one embodiment, the groove 25 extends through the longitudinal edge of the ink blade 22B that will be positioned adjacent the

ink roller

10, 18.

Referring now to FIG. 2D, in another embodiment, ink blade 22C includes a plurality of individual blade sections 24A-24L. Each of the blade sections 24A-24L is formed separately from the other blade sections 24A-24L. In one embodiment, the longitudinal edge 27 of each blade segment 24 is disposed adjacent the longitudinal edge 27 of at least one adjacent blade segment 24. In one embodiment, each blade section 24A-24L defines an axial portion 20 of the

ink roller

10, 18. Each blade section 24A-24L is individually movable relative to the

ink roller

10,18 and the corresponding axial portion 20A-20L.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, shown generally in fig. 2E, the ink blade 22D may include a plurality of channels 29A-29L that direct the ink 26 to the respective axial portions 20 of the

ink rollers

10, 18. In contrast to the other ink blades described herein, in one embodiment, the ink blade 22D is not movable relative to the

ink rollers

10, 18. In another embodiment, a pump directs ink 26 to channel 29. In one embodiment, the pump can control the amount of ink flowing to each channel 29 individually. Alternatively, each channel 29A-29L may be associated with a separate pump.

Referring again to FIG. 2A, in one embodiment, ink keys 28A-28L are associated with each of the blade segments 24. Each ink key 28 may be individually advanced and retracted relative to ink blade 22 and corresponding blade segment 24. In one embodiment, the position of each ink key 28A-28L may be adjusted by an actuator 30A-30L. In one embodiment, the ink blade 22 is flexible. In another embodiment, each individual blade section 24A-24L is flexible. Thus, the portions 24A-24L of the ink blade 22 may be positioned closer to the outer surface of the

ink roller

10,18 or, alternatively, farther from the

ink roller

10,18 in response to movement of the ink keys 28. In one embodiment, the ink blade 22 is offset away from the

ink roller

10, 18. In this embodiment, movement of the ink key 28 away from the

ink roller

10,18 allows at least a portion of the ink blade 22 proximate the ink key 28 to move away from the

ink roller

10, 18. Optionally, the ink blade 22 is pivotally positioned relative to the longitudinal axis of the

ink rollers

10, 18. In this manner, the blade sections 24A-24L may pivot relative to the outer surface of the

ink rollers

10, 18. Optionally, the cycle rate of an ink guide roller (not shown) of the decorator 2 can be adjusted to vary the amount of ink on the

ink rollers

10,18 after the section 24 of the ink blade 22 applies ink.

Referring now to fig. 3A, in one embodiment, the portion 24A of the ink blade 22 is pushed toward the

ink roller

10,18 by advancing the ink key 28A. In this way, the length of the gap 32A between the blade portion 24A and the axial portion 20A of the

ink roller

10,18 is reduced. This reduces the amount of ink 26 transferred to the axial portion 20A of the

ink rollers

10,18 and subsequently to the printing plates 6, 14. In other words, the gap 32A generally defines the density or thickness of the ink 26, which ink 26 is transferred to the

ink rollers

10,18, and subsequently to the metal reservoir 52. The density of the ink is generally related to the amount of ink used to form the decoration. When the density of the ink is incorrect, the color of the decoration may be incorrect. For example, the background color may be at least partially visible through the decorated ink. In one embodiment, the gap 32 between the ink blade portion 24 and the axial portion 20 of the ink roller may vary from about 0 inches to about 0.015 inches. In another embodiment, the gap 32 may be up to about 0.02 inches. In another embodiment, the gap may be about 0.001 inches to about 0.02 inches. In one embodiment, movement of the ink key 28A is initiated by an actuator 30A. The actuator 30A may receive a signal from the control system 46 to change the position of the ink key 28A to change the size of the gap 32.

Alternatively, referring now to fig. 3B, the blade portion 24B is moved away from the axial portion 20B of the

ink roller

10,18 by retracting the ink key 28B. In this way, the length of the gap 32B is increased, increasing the amount of ink 26 transferred to the axial portion 20B of the

rollers

10,18 and subsequently to the printing plates 6, 14.

Referring now to fig. 3C, 3D, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, each section 24 of the ink blade 22C is axially movable relative to the axis of rotation of the

ink roller

10, 18. For example, in one embodiment, the blade section 24F may be axially movable relative to the

blade sections

24E, 24G. Optionally, at least a portion of the blade section 24F may overlap one of the

blade sections

24E, 24G, as generally shown in fig. 3D. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all of the blade segments 24 may be axially repositioned in the same or similar manner. Further, as previously described, each blade segment 24 is radially movable relative to the

ink rollers

10, 18.

Referring now to fig. 4-10,

inking assemblies

8B, 16B according to another embodiment of the present invention are generally shown. The

inking assemblies

8B, 16B are similar to the

inking assemblies

8A, 16A described in connection with fig. 2-3 and operate in a similar manner. Notably, the

inking assemblies

8B, 16B include individual ink blades 21 that move generally linearly relative to the

ink rollers

10, 18. Each ink blade 21 may be individually positioned relative to the

ink rollers

10, 18. Although six ink blades 21A-21F are shown, the inking assembly can have any number of individual ink blades 21. In one embodiment, the inking

assembly

8B, 16B comprises two to twelve ink blades 21. In another embodiment, the inking assembly includes four to eight ink blades. In one embodiment, the width of each ink blade 21 is at most about 0.5 inches. In another embodiment, the width of each ink blade 21 is at most about 1.5 inches. However, other dimensions are contemplated. Thus, each ink blade regulates the flow of ink to a respective axial portion 20 of the

ink roller

10,18 having a width of at most about 0.5 inches in one embodiment, or at most about 1.5 inches in another embodiment.

The

inking assemblies

8B, 16B generally include a casting 68, a mounting plate 70, pivot blocks 72A, 72B that support the

rollers

10,18,

side walls

74A, 74B, a top plate 76, ink bars 78, a back plate 79, ink blades 21, and actuators 30. The ink bar 78, top plate 76, side walls 74, ink blade 21 and

ink rollers

10,18 define a reservoir 34 for ink to be transferred to the

ink rollers

10, 18. In one embodiment, a portion of the side wall 74 proximate the

ink roller

10,18 is shaped to fit at least partially around the ink roller.

The actuator 30 is mounted to the

inking assemblies

8B, 16B at a predetermined distance from the inking

rollers

10, 18. In one embodiment, the actuator 30 is mounted to the

inking assemblies

8B, 16B at the rear plate 79. However, other arrangements of the actuator 30 are contemplated. The actuator 30 can adjust the position of the ink blade 21 relative to the

ink rollers

10, 18. In one embodiment, each actuator 30 is interconnected to the ink blade 21 by a shaft 31. In another embodiment, the actuator 30 is in communication with the control system 46. Thus, in response to a signal from the control system 46, the actuator 30 converts electrical energy to mechanical force to adjust the position of the associated ink blade 21. The actuator 30 may comprise a solenoid or other similar device known to those skilled in the art.

In one embodiment, each shaft 31 may be selectively received by an associated ink blade 21. Thus, the distance between the ink blade 21 and the actuator 30 can be adjusted by the actuator. Optionally, the shaft 31 includes threads 33, the threads 33 being received by an end of the ink blade 21 proximate the actuator 30. In one embodiment, each ink blade 21 includes a bore with internal threads to engage with the shaft threads 33.

In one embodiment, the edge portion 35 of each ink blade 21 adjacent the

ink roller

10,18 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the

ink roller

10, 18. The edge portion 35 is defined by a longitudinal portion and an end portion extending from the longitudinal portion. In one embodiment, the longitudinal portion defines a plane that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the ink blade. In another embodiment, the end portion is substantially perpendicular to the axis 31. In one embodiment, the longitudinal portion and the end portion have a substantially planar shape. Optionally, the end portion extends from the longitudinal portion at an angle of about 80 ° to about 100 °. In one embodiment, the end portion is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal portion. Optionally, in another embodiment, the end portions are interconnected to the longitudinal portion at a non-perpendicular angle.

Referring now to fig. 10A, in one embodiment, an actuator 30A may rotate a shaft 31A in a first direction. Because the actuator 30A and shaft 31A are mounted at a fixed distance from the

ink rollers

10,18, rotating the shaft 31A in a first direction moves the ink blade 21A toward the

ink rollers

10, 18. In this way, the length of the gap 32A between the edge portion 35 of the ink blade 21A and the axial portion 20A of the

ink roller

ink rollers

10,18 and the printing plates 6, 14. More specifically, the gap 32A generally defines the density or thickness of the ink 26, which ink 26 is transferred to the

ink rollers

10,18, and subsequently to the undecorated metal container 52. In one embodiment, the blade edge portion 35 may be moved into contact with the axial portion 20A of the

ink roller

10,18 such that the gap 32A is closed. Therefore, the ink blade 21A can prevent the ink from flowing to the axial portion 20A. In one embodiment, the gap 32 between the ink blade 21 and the axial portion 20 of the ink roller may vary from about 0 inches to about 0.015 inches. In another embodiment, the gap 32 may be a maximum of about 0.02 inches. In another embodiment, the gap may be about 0.001 inches to about 0.02 inches. In one embodiment, movement of the ink blade 21A is initiated by the actuator 30A. The actuator 30A may receive a signal from the control system 46 to change a portion of the ink key 28A to change the size of the gap 32.

Similarly, referring now to fig. 10B, by rotating the shaft 31B in the second direction, the actuator 30B causes the shaft 31B to move the ink blade 21B away from the

ink rollers

10, 18. This increases the length of the gap 32B between the

inker rollers

10,18 and the edge portion 35 of the ink blade 21B. This movement of the ink blade 21B correspondingly increases the amount of ink transferred to the axial portion 20B and the density (or thickness) of the ink transferred to the metal container 52.

Referring now to fig. 9, angle and/or rotation detection sensors may be used. For example, in one embodiment, a potentiometer 80 may optionally be associated with each actuator 30 or ink blade 21. The potentiometer 80 is operable to determine the movement of the ink blade 21. In one embodiment, potentiometer 80 is operable to sense movement of shaft 31. The potentiometer 80 may transmit the amount and direction of shaft movement to the control system 46. For example, the potentiometer 80 may transmit a signal (e.g., a voltage) to the control system 46 indicating the amount and direction of movement of the shaft 31. The control system 46 may use the information received from the potentiometer 80 to determine the position of the ink blade 21 relative to the

ink roller

10, 18. In one embodiment, potentiometer 80 is operable to sense rotational movement of shaft 31 and distinguish between rotation in a first direction and a second direction. In one embodiment, potentiometer 80 is interconnected to shaft 31. Alternatively, the potentiometer 80 and the shaft 21 may comprise gears with meshing teeth. Alternatively or additionally, other sensors may be utilized to detect movement of the shaft 31. That is, the one or more rotation and/or angle sensors 80 may use or otherwise include hall effect sensors, one or more rotary encoders (including, but not limited to, mechanical, conductive, and optical rotary encoders), non-contact imaging systems, and the like.

Referring again to fig. 1, if additional plate cylinders are provided, more than two colors or types of ink 26 may be used for decorator 2. For example, although only two plate cylinders 4,12 are shown, one skilled in the art will appreciate that decorator 2 may include any number of plate cylinders 4, 12. In one embodiment, decorator 2 includes two to eight plate cylinders 4,12, each plate cylinder 4 receiving a different color or type of ink from an associated inking assembly 8, 16.

Alternatively, one or more of the printing plates 6,14 may have an image formed on the outer surface. In addition, although individual printing plates 6,14 are shown interconnected to plate cylinders 4,12, a single sleeve or cylinder wrapped around the circumference of each plate cylinder 4,12 may also be used with the decorator 2 of the present invention.

Each plate cylinder 4,12 is in a predetermined aligned position relative to blanket cylinder 36 and transfer blanket 38 interconnected thereto. Thus, as blanket cylinder 36 rotates, transfer blanket 38 rotates to contact first printing plate 6 of first plate cylinder 4. First printing plate 6 transfers at least some of first ink 26A to an outer surface portion 40 of transfer blanket 38. As blanket cylinder 36 continues to rotate, transfer blanket 38 rotates to contact second printing plate 14 of second plate cylinder 12. Second printing plate 14 transfers at least some of second ink 26B to an outer surface portion 40 of transfer blanket 38. Alternatively, a single continuous transfer blanket may be positioned around the circumference of blanket cylinder 36. In one embodiment, blanket cylinder 36 rotates in a first direction.

After transfer blanket 38 has received first and second inks 26A, 26B from printing plates 6,14 of each plate cylinder 4,12, outer surface portion 40 of transfer blanket 38 is rotated into contact with outer surface 56 of unmodified metal container 52. Transfer blanket 38 transfers at least some of the first and second inks to an outer surface 56 of metal container 52. In this manner, the decorator 58 is formed on the container exterior surface 56. It should be understood that the decoration may include any combination of images, text, numbers, and symbols.

Referring now to fig. 11, the cylindrical outer surface 56 of the metal container 54 includes a cylindrical portion 57 that corresponds to the axial portion 20 of the

ink roller

10,18 of the ink assembly 8, 16. Thus, for a decorator 2 that includes an

ink roller

10,18 having six axial portions 20A-20F defined by six portions 24A-24F of an ink blade 22 (shown in FIG. 2) or six individual ink blades 21A-21F (shown in FIG. 9, for example), the metal reservoir 54 includes six corresponding cylindrical portions 57A-57F. The amount of first ink 26A transferred to the cylindrical portions 57A-57F by the printing plates 6 fixed to the first plate cylinder 4 is controlled by adjusting the portion 24 of the ink blade 21 or the ink blade 22 relative to the axial portions 20A-20F of the first inker roller 10. Similarly, the amount of second ink 26B transferred from printing plates 14 of second plate cylinder 12 to metal reservoir 54 may be adjusted by changing the gap 32 (shown in fig. 3, 10) between ink blade 21 or portions of ink blade 22 and axial portions 20A-20F of second inker 18.

As shown generally in fig. 11, the metal container 54 may have two or more different decorations 58A, 58B. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the decorations 58A, 58B may include different types or colors of ink. For example, in one embodiment, the decoration 58A is formed from the first ink 26A of the first inking assembly 8. Similarly, the decoration 58B may be formed from the second ink 26B of the second inking assembly 16. In addition, each decoration 58A, 58B may include portions of other inks. Thus, in one embodiment, the number 58C of the decoration 58B may be formed from a different ink than the second ink 26B. For example, in one embodiment, the ornamental portion 58C is formed from the first ink 26A of the first inking assembly 8. Alternatively, ornamental portion 58C may be formed from a different third ink of another inking assembly of the decorator 2.

In one embodiment, the support member 42 receives an undecorated metal container 52 from an upstream apparatus 64. The metal container 52 may be a beverage container, such as a beverage can, a beverage bottle, an aerosol container, or a container for any other type of product. The upstream equipment 64 may comprise a drawing and ironing line or an impact extrusion line. An example of a known line for drawing and ironing metal containers is generally shown and described in "Inside a Ball bearing Can Plant", which Can be found in

http:// www.ball.com/Ball/media/Ball/Global/Downloads/How _ a _ Ball _ Meta _ coverage _ Can _ Is _ made pdfext ═ pdf (last visit on 2016, 4, 30), incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Methods and apparatus for forming metal containers in an impact extrusion line are described in U.S. patent application publication No.2013/0068352 and U.S. patent application publication No.2014/0298641, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In one embodiment, upstream equipment 64 includes at least one sensor. The sensor may be the same as or similar to sensor 50. Thus, in one embodiment, the control system 46 may receive data collected or obtained by sensors of the upstream equipment 64 associated with the outer surface 56 of the metal container 52 before the metal container 52 reaches the support member 42.

Support element 42 moves metal container 52 into contact with transfer blanket 38. In one embodiment, support element 42 includes a plurality of stations 44 to receive and support metal container 52 in a predetermined position relative to blanket cylinder 36. Optionally, a sensor 50 may be associated with the support element 42. The sensors may obtain data regarding the position or orientation of the metal container 52 supported by the station 44. The sensor 50 may provide data to the control system 46. In this manner, control system 46 may determine whether metal container 52 is in a predetermined orientation or alignment with respect to transfer blanket 38 of transfer cylinder 36. In one embodiment, the station 44 includes a recess to receive a portion of the metal container. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the station may comprise a mandrel protruding from the support element 42. A portion of each mandrel is configured to project at least partially through the open end into the hollow interior of the metal container 52. One example of a support member 42 that may be used in the decorator 2 of the present invention is described in U.S. patent No.9,452,600, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Returning again to FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the present invention, one or more inking assemblies 8,16 may be moved in response to signals received from control system 46. More specifically, in one embodiment, the inking assemblies 8,16 or at least the

inkers

10,18 may be movable to vary the degree of alignment of the inking assemblies 8,16 and/or the

inkers

10,18 relative to the plate cylinders 4, 12. In one embodiment, the inking assemblies 8,16 and the

inkers

10,18 can move in multiple directions. Optionally, the inking assembly 8,16 and/or the inking

rollers

10,18 may be movable in one or more of the following directions: (1) an axial or "z-direction" (substantially perpendicular to the plane of fig. 1); (2) a transverse or "x-direction" (substantially perpendicular to the axial direction); and (3) a perpendicular or "y-direction" (substantially perpendicular to each of the axial and transverse directions). In one or more embodiments, each of the inking assemblies 8,16 and/or the inking

rollers

10,18 can move or otherwise pivot about an axis of rotation. In one embodiment, one or more actuators are associated with each of the inking assemblies 8,16 and/or the

ink rollers

10, 18. Each actuator is operable to move the associated inking assembly or ink roller in one or more of the x, y and z directions in response to signals from the control system 46. In this manner, the control system 46 may send signals to actuators associated with the inking assemblies 8,16 and/or the

rollers

10,18 to change one or more of the position and alignment of the ink of the printing plate 6 transferred from the rollers.

In another embodiment, one or more of plate cylinders 4,12, blanket cylinder 36, and support element 42 may move in response to signals from control system 46. For example, in one embodiment, one or more of plate cylinders 4,12, blanket cylinder 36, and support elements 42 may be interconnected to actuators. In response to signals from control system 46, actuators may move at least one of plate cylinders 4,12, blanket cylinder 36, and support element 42 in multiple directions. In one embodiment, one or more of plate cylinders 4,12, blanket cylinder 36, and support element 42 may move in at least one of the x-direction, y-direction, and z-direction in response to forces received from actuators. Accordingly, when control system 46 determines that the position or registration of the decoration is defective, control system 46 may adjust the position of one or more of plate cylinders 4,12, blanket cylinder 36, and support element 42 in a plurality of particular directions.

Actuators associated with inking assemblies 8,16,

inkers

10,18, plate cylinders 4,12, blanket cylinder 36, and support element 42 (not shown in fig. 1 for clarity) may be the same as actuators 30 or similar to actuators 30. Further, one or more potentiometers may be associated with each actuator. The potentiometers or rotation sensors may send data to control system 46 so that control system 46 may determine the relative positions of inking assemblies 8,16,

inkers

10,18, plate cylinders 4,12, blanket cylinder 36, and support elements 42.

After the metal container 54 is decorated by the decorator 2, the sensor 50 collects data about the decorator 58. The sensor 50 is positioned to sense the entire cylindrical surface 56 of the metal container 54. In one embodiment, the sensor 50 senses the decorated metal container 54 when the container is associated with the support element 42. Alternatively, the decorated metal container 54 is transmitted to the sensor 50, for example, by the transmitter 48. Any suitable conveyor 48 may be used with decorator 2 of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, conveyor 48 comprises a belt. The periodic rate of support element 42 and conveyor 48 may be controlled by control system 46.

Optionally, one or more operations may be performed on the metal container 54 after the metal container 54 receives the decoration 58 and before the metal container 54 is sensed by the sensor 50. More specifically, the metal container 54 may be one or more of cleaned, tested, and dried. Thus, there may be a predetermined lag time from when the decoration 58 is formed on the container 54 to when the sensor 50 senses the metal container 54. Thus, although sensor 50 is shown generally upstream of downstream equipment 66 in FIG. 1, sensor 50 may also be positioned downstream of at least some of equipment 66. For example, in one embodiment, after exiting support member 42, metal container 54 is transferred to one or more of a tester, cleaner, and oven before reaching sensor 50. Thus, a predetermined period of time may elapse after the metal container 54 receives the decoration 58 before the sensor 50 senses the container cylindrical surface 56. Thus, the sensor 50 and control system 46 must account for and adjust for the lag time that occurs after the ink blades 21,22 are adjusted before the metal container with the decoration formed by the adjusted ink blades reaches the sensor 50.

The sensor 50 is positioned to sense an outer surface 56 of the metal container 54. The sensor 50 sends data relating to the decor 58 of each metal container 54 to the control system 46. More specifically, the sensor 50 collects data about the decoration 58 on the container 54. The control system 46 uses the data collected by the sensors 50 to determine if any defects are present in the decor 58. For example, the sensor 50 may collect or obtain data relating to the color, density, depth, consistency, and alignment of the decorations 58.

Any suitable sensor 50 that can detect the decoration 58 printed on the container exterior surface 56 may be used with the decorator 2 of the present invention. In one embodiment, sensor 50 comprises an optical or visual sensor. In another embodiment of the present invention, sensor 50 comprises a camera. The camera may be a high speed camera. In yet another embodiment, the sensor 50 comprises a laser. In yet another embodiment, the sensor 50 comprises a hyperspectral imager. In one embodiment, the sensor 50 may collect data in three dimensions. In one embodiment, one or more of the camera's optics, resolution, magnification, and shutter are controlled by the control system 46. In one embodiment, sensor 50 is operable to sense up to about 700 metal containers per minute. In another embodiment, the sensor 50 is operable to sense up to about 2,000 metal containers per minute.

In one embodiment, one or more targets 59 on the container exterior surface 56 are selected for sensing by the sensor 50. The target 59 may be selected by the control system 46. Additionally or alternatively, the target 59 may be set by an operator of the decorator 2. In one embodiment, the target 59 is at least partially defined by the decoration 58 to be applied to the metal container 54. More specifically, target 59 may be selected based on where one or more inks 26 are to be positioned on outer surface 56. Additionally, targets 59 may also be selected for locations where no ink is applied to the outer surface 56. Thus, the target 59 may vary from a first trim run to a second trim run.

Referring again to FIG. 11, one or more targets 59 may be located at various predetermined locations on the container exterior surface 56. In this manner, the sensor 50 will collect data relating to the ink 26 applied by each inking assembly 8, 16. In one embodiment, at least one target 59 is associated with the ink 26 of each inking assembly 8, 16. In another embodiment, a target 59 may be associated with each of the ink blades 21 or a section 24 of the ink blade 22. For example, for decorator 2 having four to eight inking assemblies, each having five to ten ink blades 21 or 22 sectors, sensor 50 may collect data on about 20 to 80 targets 59. In this manner, the control system 46 will receive data, almost continuously, regarding the quality, thickness and position of the ink 26 applied by each ink blade 21 and each section 24 of the ink blade 22 of each inking assembly 8, 16.

Optionally, at least one light 51 may be associated with the sensor 50. In one embodiment, the lights 51 are operable to provide flash illumination so that the associated sensors 50 can obtain data from the moving metal container 54. The operation of the lamp 51 may be controlled by the control system 46. In this manner, the illumination produced by the lights 51 is timed with the data collection of the sensors 50. In one embodiment, the lamp 51 comprises at least one of an incandescent lamp, an LED, a high intensity lamp, a laser, a fluorescent lamp, a xenon flash tube, and an arc discharge lamp. The lamp 51 is selected to produce illumination of a predetermined wavelength based on the requirements of the sensor 50.

In one embodiment, the lights 51 are aligned substantially parallel to the line of sight of the sensor, such as generally shown in FIG. 1. In one embodiment, one or more diffusers and lenses are associated with the lamp 51. In one embodiment, the diffuser and lens are aligned such that the illumination produced by the lamp 51 is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the metal container 54. In one embodiment, the width of the diffuser is approximately equal to the height of the metal container. Thus, the lamp 51 may illuminate one or more portions of the outer surface 56 of the metal container 54.

Optionally, one or more illumination angles may be provided by at least one lamp. In another embodiment, the lamp 51 comprises two or more lamps arranged at different angles with respect to the metal container 54. For example, in one embodiment, the first lamp 51 may be positioned at an angle of about 90 ° above a portion of the metal container 54 to be sensed by the sensor 50. In another embodiment, the second lamp 51 is positioned at an angle of about 10 ° to about 90 ° or at an angle of about 1 ° to about 10 ° with respect to the portion of the metal holder 54 to be sensed. Accordingly, the angle of the lamp 51 relative to the metal holder 54 may be selected such that the decoration 58 (which may include various surfaces extending to different heights from the cylindrical surface 56 of the metal holder 54) reflects light differently than other portions of the outer surface 56 of the metal holder 54.

In one embodiment, the sensor 50 may sense the entire outer surface 56 of the metal container. In contrast, some prior art decorators for decorating a continuous web or substrate include a sensor that senses only a portion of the width of the continuous web between a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge of the web (referred to as the "width-to-cut"). The sensor may be periodically moved from the first longitudinal edge to the second longitudinal edge of the web. However, at any given time, the sensor may only sense a portion of the width of the web. Thus, when sensing the first harvest width, the sensor may not detect a printing error or defect in the second harvest width.

Optionally, the metal container 54 is rotated about its longitudinal axis during sensing by the sensor 50. Therefore, additional processing techniques may be required to correct for distortions in the image obtained by the sensor 50 that are due in part to the rotation of the metal container 54. In another embodiment, the sensor 50 is substantially stationary during sensing of the metal container 54. Accordingly, the data (such as an image) collected by the sensor 50 may not include distortion caused by movement of the sensor. In contrast, some sensors or cameras of prior art continuous web decorators move laterally across the width of the web. Movement of the camera may reduce the accuracy of the images captured by the camera. Further, in some prior art web decorators, both the camera and the web are moving during image acquisition by the camera. This simultaneous movement may cause further distortion of the images collected by the cameras. The simultaneous movement also increases the complexity of controlling the camera and identifying the cause of the cosmetic defect and the complexity of the corrections required to repair the defect.

Optionally, the metal container 54 is moved substantially continuously relative to the sensor 50. More specifically, in one embodiment, when the sensor 50 senses the outer surface 56 of the metal container, the metal container 54 moves laterally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the metal container. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the metal container 54 is substantially stationary relative to the sensor 50 during sensing of the metal container.

Although only one sensor 50 is shown in fig. 1, one skilled in the art will appreciate that any number of sensors 50 may be used with the decorator 2 of the present disclosure. Thus, referring now to FIG. 1A, another decorator 2A of the present disclosure is generally illustrated. Decorator 2A includes one or more plate cylinders 4,12, inking assemblies 8,16,

inkers

10,18, ink trains 11,19, blanket cylinder 36, support cylinder 42, sensor 50, and ejector 62, which are identical or similar to decorator 2. Notably, decorator 2A includes a plurality of optional sensors 49. Sensor 49 may be the same as or similar to sensor 50. In addition, sensors 49 may provide data to control system 46. The lights 51 may be associated with one or more of the sensors 49.

In one embodiment, the sensor 49A is positioned to collect data on the exterior surface 56 of the unmodified container before the unmodified container is received by the support element 42. The control system 46 may use the data from the sensor 49A to determine whether the outer surface 56 of the container 52 includes any defects or anomalies.

Another sensor 49B may be arranged to collect data and/or images on the printing plates 6 of the first plate cylinder 4. Similarly, optional sensor 49C may be positioned to collect data on printing plates 14 of second plate cylinder 12. In one embodiment,

sensors

49B, 49C collect data relating to the ink transferred to printing plates 6,14 by respective inking assemblies 8, 16. In this manner, control system 46 can determine that ink has been improperly transferred to printing plates 6, 14. For example, in one embodiment, control system 46 can determine that an improper amount of ink is transferred to printing plate 6,14 or a portion of a printing plate. In another embodiment, the control system 46 may use data from the

sensors

49B, 49C to determine that ink is being applied to an inappropriate portion of the printing plate. In yet another embodiment, sensor data from

sensors

49B, 49C may indicate that one or more of inking assemblies 8,16 is applying an improper type or color of ink. The control system 46 may also determine that the ink 26 applied by one of the inking assemblies 8,16 is defective based on data received from one or more of the

sensors

49B, 49C. In yet another embodiment, control system 46 may use data from

sensors

49B, 49C to determine that one or more of printing plates 6,14 are not properly aligned on the respective plate cylinder 4, 12.

In one embodiment, another sensor 49D may be positioned to collect data from transfer blanket 38 on blanket cylinder 36. Using data from sensor 49D, control system 46 may determine that one or more inks 26 transferred by printing plates 6,14 to transfer blanket 38 are not properly aligned. Control system 46 may also determine that the decoration formed by the ink on transfer blanket 38 is defective. For example, while ink is on transfer blanket 38, the control system may determine that one or more target parameters associated with the decoration are defective. In one embodiment, using data received from sensor 49D, control system 46 may determine that one or more of the color, density, depth, alignment, and consistency of the ink on transfer blanket 38 do not comply with the decoration parameters.

In another embodiment, the decorator may also include a sensor 49E located downstream of the ejector 62. In one embodiment, control system 46 may compare data received from sensor 49E with data received from sensor 50. In this manner, the control system 46 can determine whether the decoration on the metal container 54 has changed after the sensor 50 senses the metal container. In one embodiment, control system 46 may determine that the decoration formed on metal container 54 during transport of conveyor 48 has been damaged. For example, after moving downstream from the sensor 50, the trim may be scratched or otherwise damaged during transport.

In one embodiment, decorator 2 includes three to five sensors 50 arranged about the longitudinal axis of metal container 54. In this manner, the cylindrical body 56 of the metal container 54 can be sensed in one operation. In other words, three to five sensors 54 are positioned to sense the cylindrical body 56 substantially simultaneously.

Referring now to fig. 12A, in one embodiment, decorator 2 includes three

sensors

50A, 50B, 50C, each of which detects at least about one-third of cylindrical body 56. The sensors 50A-50C are substantially evenly spaced about a longitudinal axis of the metal container 54, which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of fig. 12A. In another embodiment, shown generally in fig. 12B, the decorator 2 includes four

sensors

50A, 50B, 50C, 50D, each sensing at least about one-quarter of the cylindrical body 56. Similar to fig. 12A, the sensors 50A-50D are arranged substantially uniformly about the longitudinal axis of the metal container 54. Optionally, referring now to fig. 12C, in one embodiment, each of the five sensors 50A-50E of the decorator 2 senses at least about one fifth of the cylindrical body 56, wherein the five sensors are positioned substantially uniformly about the longitudinal axis of the metal container 54.

One to five sensors 50 may each collect or obtain the same type of information. Such information obtained from the sensor may be in the form of an image; thus, the image may be processed and analyzed for color, ink density, registration, depth, and/or consistency of the decoration. According to at least one embodiment, at least one sensor 50 senses a different type of information than another of the one to five sensors. For example, in one embodiment, a first sensor may collect a first type of data associated with the adornment 58 and a second sensor of a different type may collect a second type of data associated with the adornment 58. Optionally, in one embodiment of the invention, a first sensor collects data on the color of the decoration, a second sensor collects data on the density of the decoration, a third sensor collects data on the degree of alignment of the decoration, a fourth sensor collects data on the depth of the decoration, and a fifth sensor collects data on the uniformity (or evenness) of the decoration. In another embodiment, each sensor 50 is operable to sense colors including at least red, green, and blue. In yet another embodiment, each sensor 50 is operable to sense a change or gradation in color within each cylindrical portion 57 of the metal container. In yet another embodiment, the sensor 50 is operable to distinguish between the density or color of ink in the first cylindrical portion 57 and the density or color of ink in the second cylindrical portion 57.

Referring now to FIG. 13, a control system 46 of one embodiment of the present invention is generally shown. More specifically, FIG. 13 illustrates one embodiment of the control system 46 of the present invention that is operable to determine and correct anomalies in the decoration applied by the decorator 2 to the outer surface of a metal container. The control system 46 is generally shown as having hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via a bus 82. The hardware elements may include one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs) 84; one or more input devices 86 (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, etc.); and one or more output devices 88 (e.g., display devices, printers, etc.). The control system 46 may also include one or more storage devices 90. In one embodiment, the one or more storage devices 90 may be disk drives, optical storage devices, solid state storage devices such as random access memory ("RAM") and/or read only memory ("ROM"), which may be programmable, flash updateable, and/or the like.

The control system 46 may additionally include one or more of a computer-readable storage media reader 92; a communication system 94 (e.g., modem, network card (wireless or wired), infrared communication device, etc.); and a working memory 96, which may include RAM and ROM devices as described above. In some embodiments, the control system 46 may also include a processing acceleration unit 98, which may include a DSP, a special purpose processor, and/or the like. Optionally, the control system 46 further includes a database 100.

The computer-readable storage media reader 92 may also be connected to a computer-readable storage medium, which collectively (optionally in conjunction with the storage device 90) comprehensively represent remote, local, fixed, and/or removable storage devices plus storage media for temporarily and/or more permanently containing computer-readable information. Communication system 94 may allow data to be exchanged with network 102 and/or any other data processing. Alternatively, the control unit 46 may access data stored in a remote storage device, such as database 104, by connecting to the network 102. In one embodiment, the network 102 may be the Internet.

The control system 46 may also include software elements, which are shown as being currently located within the working memory 96. The software elements may include an operating system 106 and/or other code 108, such as program code, implementing one or more methods and aspects of the present invention.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternative embodiments of the control system 46 may have variations from those described above. For example, customized hardware might also be used and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets), or both. In addition, connections to other computing devices, such as network input/output devices, may be employed.

In one embodiment, the control system 46 is a personal computer, such as, but not limited to, a personal computer running the MS Windows operating system. Alternatively, the control system 46 may be a smartphone, tablet, laptop, and similar computing device. In one embodiment, control system 46 is a data processing system including, but not limited to, one or more of the following: at least one input device (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, or touch screen); output devices (e.g., display, speakers); a display card; a communication device (e.g., an ethernet card or a wireless communication device); permanent memory (e.g., hard disk); temporary memory (e.g., random access memory); computer instructions stored in permanent and/or temporary memory, and a processor. The control system 46 may be any Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). One example of a suitable PLC is a Controllogix PLC manufactured by Rockwell Automation, Inc., although other PLCs are contemplated for use in embodiments of the present invention.

In one embodiment, control system 46 is in communication with one or more of inking assemblies 8,16, plate cylinders 4,12, actuators 30, potentiometers 80, blanket cylinder 36, support elements 42, sensors 49,50, lights 51, conveyors 48, ejectors 62, upstream devices 64, and downstream devices 66. Accordingly, control system 46 receives data from sensors 49,50 relating to undecorated metal container 52, decorated metal container 54, printing plate, and transfer blanket 40. Using this data, the control system 46 can determine whether the garnish 58 is defective or satisfactory. More specifically, the control system 46 may determine whether the decorations 58 at least meet a goal corresponding to one or more parameters, such as color, density, depth, alignment, and consistency. The target may be set by a consumer or operator of the decorator 2. The one or more parameters may include a target range. If the sensor data associated with a parameter falls within the lower and upper limits of the range, then at least the decorated parameter is acceptable. In one embodiment, when the decorator 58 does not meet one or more of the targets, the decoration is defective.

The control system 46 compares the data from the sensor 50 to the target of the marking/decoration 58. In one embodiment, the control system 46 compares data associated with portions of the image of the decoration/indicia received from the sensor 50 to target levels for the respective portions of the decoration. In this manner, the control system 46 can determine whether one or more of the color, density, depth (or thickness), alignment, and consistency of each portion of the decor is different from a target value or position for each portion of the decor. The control system 46 may determine that the decoration is defective if one or more of the sensor data and the target value for a portion of the decoration.

In one embodiment, the control system 46 identifies defective decorations by inspecting at least one metal container having an acceptable decoration 58. For example, a metal container 54 with an acceptable decoration 58 may be sensed by the sensor 50. The control system 46 receives data from the sensors relating to the acceptable decor 58. Using this information, the control system 46 may create the

databases

100, 104. The database 100 may be stored in a memory 96 of the control system 46, such as the memory 96. Alternatively, the database 104 may be accessible by the network connection 102. The database may include a plurality of fields that describe characteristics of acceptable decorations. The features may include one or more of color, density, depth (or thickness), position (or alignment), and consistency of the decoration. Each feature may be assigned a value based on sensor data. In one embodiment, each portion of the adornment 58 sensed by the sensor 50 is associated with a field of the plurality of fields. Thus, data associated with each sensed portion of the decoration may be stored in a database and accessed by the control system 46.

Referring now to FIG. 14, one embodiment of a data structure 110, such as a database, is generally shown. The data structures may include one or more of data files or data objects 116,134. Thus, the data structure 110 may represent different types of databases or data stores, such as an object-oriented database, a flat file data structure, a relational database, or other type of data storage arrangement. Embodiments of the data structure 110 disclosed herein may be separate, combined, and/or distributed. As shown in FIG. 14, there may be more or less portions of the data structure 110, as shown by the ellipses 112. Further, there may be more or fewer fields or records 132 in the data structure 110, as shown by the ellipses 114. In one embodiment, the data structure 110 is stored in a memory of the control system 46, such as the database 100. Additionally or alternatively, the data structure 110 may be accessed by the control system 46 using the network 102. Thus, in one embodiment, the data structure 110 is stored at a remote location, such as the database 104.

The first data object 116 may relate to data collected by the sensor 50 from at least one known acceptable decoration. In one embodiment, data for the first data object 116 is collected while the control system 46 is programmed to identify acceptable decorations prior to a production run. The data object 116 may include

several portions

118 and 130 representing different types of data. Each of these types of data may be associated with a decoration 58 sensed by the sensor 50. There may be one or more records 132 and associated data stored within the first data object 116.

In one embodiment, each record 132 includes an identifier 118. For example, an identifier 118 may be associated with each container sensed by sensor 50. Other fields include different data collected by the sensors 49,50 for each decoration. These fields may include, but are not limited to, a color related field 120, a density related portion 122, a thickness or depth related portion 124, a decoration location and/or alignment related field 126, a field 128 for decoration consistency, and a field 130 for other data. In one embodiment, the field 120 may include information associating the color of the ink with the inking assembly 8, 16. More specifically, field 120 may include information identifying the color of first ink 26 of first inking assembly 8. The field 120 may also include information identifying the color of the second ink 26 of the second inking assembly 16. In this manner, control system 46 can determine which inking assembly 8,16 is associated with a defect in ink 26 of trim piece 58. The control system 46 may also identify which ink blade 21,22 is associated with an ink defect based on the one or more cylindrical portions 57 that include the ink defect. In one embodiment, the image of each decoration sensed by

sensors

49E, 50 is saved in each record 132. In one embodiment, the image is stored in portion 130.

The settings of the ink blades 21,22 may be stored in a data structure 110. In one embodiment, the ink blade settings may be stored in portion 130. Alternatively, the ink blade settings may be input to the control system 46 by operation. In another embodiment, the ink blade settings may be determined by the control system. In one embodiment, control system 46 receives an image of the decoration formed by decorator 2 before the production run begins. The control system 46 may analyze the image and automatically determine the settings of the ink blades 21, 22. In another embodiment, the control system 46 maintains a setting for the ink blades 21,22 associated with each metal container sensed by the sensor 50. In this manner, when the decoration includes a defect, the ink blade settings present at the time of forming the defective decoration can be inspected.

Optionally, data structure 110 may include a second data object 134. The data object 134 may include the same or

similar fields

118 and 130 as the first data object 116. In one embodiment, the control system 46 may store data received from the sensors 49,50 during a production run in the second data object 134. Thus, the second data object 134 may include a plurality of records 134 relating to metal containers decorated by decorators during production runs. Rather, in one embodiment, the data object 116 may optionally include data collected by the sensors 49,50 prior to the start of a production run.

Referring now to FIG. 15, one embodiment of a method 140 for controlling the system 46 is generally shown. Although a general order of the operations of method 140 is shown in fig. 15, method 140 may include more or fewer operations, or may arrange the order of the operations differently than that shown in fig. 15. Further, although the operations of method 140 may be described sequentially, in practice many of the operations may be performed in parallel or concurrently. Generally, method 140 begins with a start operation 142 and ends with an end operation 160. Portions of method 140 may be performed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on a computer-readable medium. One example of a computer system may include, for example, control system 46. Examples of computer readable media may include, but are not limited to, memory of the control system 46. Hereinafter, the method 140 will be explained with reference to the control system 46, the decorator 2, and the components described in connection with fig. 1-14.

In operation 144, the metal container 54 with the decoration 58 is provided. In operation 146, data relating to the decor 58 of the metal container 54 is collected by the at least one sensor 49, 50. The control system 46 then receives the collected data from at least one sensor 49, 50.

In operation 148, the control system analyzes the collected data received from the sensors. In one embodiment, the control system considers data associated with a plurality of targets 59 of the container exterior surface 56. In another embodiment, the control system 46 analyzes data collected from one or more cylindrical portions 57 of the metal container 54. The control system 46 may identify characteristics of the decorations 58 such as, but not limited to, color, thickness, density, consistency, and degree of alignment.

In operation 150, the control system 46 stores the collected data in memory. In one embodiment, the control system stores the collected data in records 132 of database 110. Alternatively, the collected data may be stored in the first data object 116 of the database 110.

In one embodiment, the method 140 loops at operation 152 a predetermined number of times. For example, the method 140 may include sensing a predetermined number of metal containers 54 having an acceptable decoration.

Optionally, in one embodiment, the method 140 may include sensing at least one metal container 60 that includes a known defective decoration. The decoration may be defective with respect to one or more parameters different from the target. The parameters may include, but are not limited to, at least one of color, density, thickness (or depth), position and/or alignment, and consistency of the decoration. Alternatively, the sensor 50 may sense a plurality of metal containers 60 having defective decorations. In one embodiment, at least one of the defect decorations is associated with an improper amount of ink. Another of the defective decorations is due to defective ink. Yet another of the defective decorations is caused by defective (or misaligned) printing plates. Another defective decoration may be associated with a defective (or misaligned) transfer blanket. Yet another defective decoration may be associated with a decoration that is not properly aligned (or positioned).

For each sensed metal container 60 that includes a known defect decoration, the control system 46 may store the sensor data in a record 132, the record 132 including a field with data identifying the cause of the decoration defect. In one embodiment, this field may include data indicating the action that the control system 46 should take if a similar defective decor is sensed by at least one of the

sensors

49E, 50 during a production run of the decorator 2. For example, the database 110 may include actions in the field "other" 130 to provide an alert to an operator when a defective decoration is sensed. In another embodiment, when a defective decoration is sensed that is associated with an improper amount of ink, the field "other" 130 may include instructions to adjust the position of one or more of the ink blades 21 or the portion 24 of the ink blade 22. In this manner, the control system 46 can vary the amount of ink 26 transferred to the

rollers

10,18 and subsequently to the metal reservoir. In yet another embodiment, if the decor is defective due to improper alignment or position, the control system may include instructions to change the position of one or more elements of decorator 2. For example, control system 46 may include instructions for moving at least one of inking assemblies 8,16,

rollers

10,18, plate cylinders 4,12, blanket cylinder 36, and support elements 42. In this manner, in one embodiment, the control system 46 can correct for imperfections caused by improper alignment or position of the decoration formed on the metal container.

If the sensor 50 does not sense the predetermined number of metal containers, the control system 46 may determine in operation 152 that the operations 144-150 should be repeated. Thus, the method 140 will return yes to operation 144. Alternatively, the control system 46 may determine that a sufficient (or predetermined) number of metal containers with decorations have been sensed such that the

operations

144 and 150 should not be repeated. In this case, method 140 continues with "no" to operation 154.

The method 140 may then optionally test the ability of the control system 46 to identify defective decorations in operations 154-158. More specifically, in operation 154, a metal container 60 having a known defective finish is provided. In operation 156, at least one sensor 49,50 collects data regarding the defect decoration.

In operation 158, the control system 46 evaluates the collected data, similar to operation 148. The control system 46 will then determine whether the decoration is defective. If the control system 46 does not identify a defective decoration, the method 140 will return no to operation 144 and additional metal containers with decorations will be sensed and analyzed by the control system. More specifically, the control system 46 will analyze sensor data relating to one or more decors including acceptable or defective decors.

Alternatively, if the control system 46 correctly identifies a defective decoration, the method 140 continues with "yes" to end operation 160. In one embodiment, properly identifying the defective decoration includes the control system 46 properly identifying the cause of the decoration defect. For example, the decoration may be defective due to one or more of the color of the ink, the density of the ink, the thickness of the ink, the amount of ink, the consistency of the ink, and the position or alignment of the ink.

In one embodiment, properly identifying the defective decoration also includes the control system 46 properly identifying the actions required to correct the defective decoration. For example, if the decor is defective due to an incorrect amount of ink, the control system may indicate one or more ink blades 21 or sections of ink blades 22 that should be adjusted to correct the defect. Similarly, if the position or alignment of the decor is defective, the control system 46 may identify at least one inking assembly, inker rollers, plate cylinder, blanket cylinder, and support elements that should be adjusted to correct the defective decor.

Once the control system 46 is trained to identify acceptable decors, the control system 46 may detect a different decor 58 than the acceptable decor. In this manner, the control system may determine that the metal container includes unacceptable or defective decorations. In one embodiment, the control system 46 may be trained to identify an acceptable decoration when the sensor 50 senses less than 100 metal containers with acceptable decorations. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the control system 46 is trained to identify an acceptable decoration after receiving sensor data for about 100 to about 200 metal containers having an acceptable decoration. According to embodiments of the present invention, control system 46 may utilize supervised and/or unsupervised machine learning techniques such as, but not limited to, support vector machines, boosted decision trees, and/or one or more neural networks to identify acceptable ornamentation.

In one embodiment, the control system 46 compares sensor data received from one or more of the sensors 49,50 to known references stored in memory. For example, the control system 46 may compare sensor data or a portion of the obtained image to an image of the metal container 54 having a reference decoration 58 of sufficient quality. The image of the metal container may be stored in the

memory

90,92 of the control system 46. In another embodiment, the images may be stored in a database 110, with the control system 46 communicating with the database 110, such as by connecting to the network 102.

If one of the inking assemblies 8,16 transfers an excess or an insufficient amount of ink 26 to a portion of the printing plate 6,14, the decoration may be defective. In another embodiment, the decoration may be defective if inking assembly 8,16 transfers ink 26 to an inappropriate portion of printing plate 6, 14. If the control system 46 determines that the decoration 58 is defective, the control system 46 is operable to determine whether one or more of the ink blades 21 or portions of the ink blades 22 should be adjusted to produce an acceptable decoration 58. More specifically, in one embodiment, the control system 46 may determine which inking assembly 8,16 is associated with a defective decoration based at least in part on the color of the ink 26 of the defective decoration. In one embodiment, control system 46 may retrieve data from field 120 of data structure 110 to determine which inking assembly 8,16 is associated with the color of the ink. The control system 46 may determine at least one ink blade 21,22 of one of the inking assemblies 8,16 associated with the defect based on the location of the defect decoration in the one or more cylindrical portions 57. For example, in one embodiment, inking assembly 8 includes a first ink 26A of a first color. Database 110 includes information in field 120 that associates first ink 26A with first inking assembly 8. One or more sensors 49,50 obtain data relating to a metal container 54 (shown in fig. 11) that includes a decoration 58B. The control system 46 may determine that a portion of the decoration 58B formed from the first ink 26A is defective. Defects may be in the cylindrical portion 57E. Thus, the control system 46 may determine that the ink blade 21E or 22E of the inking assembly 8 is in an improper position relative to the axial portion 20E of the first ink roller 10.

The control system 46 may cause one or more respective actuators 30 to change the alignment of the ink blade 21 or the ink blade 22 to increase or decrease the gap 32. In one embodiment, the control system 46 may automatically send a signal to one or more respective actuators 30 to change the alignment of the ink blade 21 or ink blade 22 to increase or decrease the gap 32. In this manner, control system 46 may adjust the amount of ink 26 transferred to printing plates 6,14 of one or more plate cylinders 4,12 without input from an operator of decorator 2.

In addition, the control system 46 may optionally send signals to the actuators 30 to adjust the axial position of the associated blade section 24 relative to the

ink roller

10, 18. More specifically, in one embodiment, a signal from the control system 46 may cause the actuator 30F to move at least a portion of the associated blade section 24F toward one of the blade section 24E or the blade section 24G, such as generally shown in fig. 3D.

In another embodiment, control system 46 may send signals to actuators associated with at least one element of decorator 2, such as inking assemblies 8,16,

rollers

10,18, plate cylinders 4,12, blanket cylinder 36, and support element 42. The signal may cause the actuator to move the associated element to automatically correct a defective decoration associated with the position or alignment of the decoration. The actuator may move the associated element in one or more particular directions, including in one or more of the x-direction, y-direction, and z-direction.

In another embodiment, control system 46 may report changes made to elements of decorator 2 to correct for defective decors to an operator. In one embodiment, the report may include changes to the radial or axial position of one or more of the ink blades 21 or the segments 24 of the ink blade 22 required to correct for defective decoration. Additionally or alternatively, the report may include changes to other elements of decorator 2 needed to correct the defective decoration.

The report may be presented on an output device 88, such as a display, of the control system 46. In this manner, the operator may at least check for these changes, such as preparing changes to the ink blade 21 or the section 24 of the ink blade 22 by the control system 46. In one embodiment, the operator must approve the change in the plan before the control system 46 sends a signal to the actuator 30 to change position. In another embodiment, the operator may use an input device 86, such as a pointer (including a mouse, touchpad, or trackball), keyboard, or touch screen of the control system 46 to approve, reject, or modify changes planned by the control system.

In one embodiment, control system 46 waits a predetermined period of time after reporting to the operator a change to the element plan for decorator 2. Alternatively, if the operator does not reject the planned change for a period of time, the control system 46 sends a signal to the actuator 30 to implement the planned change. In another embodiment, if the operator does not approve the planned change within a period of time, the control system 46 will not send a signal to the actuator 30 and the ink blade 21 or section 24 of the ink blade 22 and other elements of the decorator will remain in the current position.

Referring again to fig. 11, the control system 46 may determine that one or more of the decorators 58A, 58B (or a portion of one of the decorators 58) is defective. For example, the portion of the decoration 58B in the cylindrical portion 57E may be defective. One or more of the sensors 49,50 may have a target 59E associated with the cylindrical portion 57E. In one embodiment, the control system 46 may use data from the sensors 49,50 to determine that the defect is due to an improper amount of one or more of the first and second inks 26A, 26B transferred to the cylindrical portion 57E. Using the sensor data, the control system 46 may determine an improper amount of ink caused by one or more of: (1) excess first ink 26A from the axial portion 20E of the first inker 10; (2) the first ink 26A from the axial portion 20E of the first ink roller 10 is never too little; (3) excess second ink 26B from the axial portion 20E of the second inker 18; and (4) too little second ink 26B from the axial portion 20E of the second ink roller 18.

After determining the cause of the defect of the portion of the decor 58B in the cylindrical portion 57E, the control system 46 may send a signal to the actuator 30E associated with the axial portion 20E of the first ink roller 10 to change the gap 32 between the axial portion 20E of the first ink roller 10 and the associated ink blade 21 or section 24E of the ink blade 22. This signal may cause the amount of the first ink 26A transferred to the axial portion 20E of the first ink roller 10 to increase or decrease. If the defect is due to an incorrect amount of the second ink 26B transferred to the cylindrical portion 57E, the control system 46 may send a similar signal to the actuator 30E associated with the axial portion 20E of the second ink roller 18 to adjust the amount of the second ink 26B transferred to the cylindrical portion 57E. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the control system 46 may send a signal to the pump to change the amount of ink supplied to the ink channel 29E of the ink blade 22D of the first or

second inker

10, 18.

Alternatively, the control system 46 may determine that the defect is not associated with an improper amount of ink 26A, 26B being transferred to the metal container 54. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the defects may be due to other problems, such as, but not limited to: problems with one of printing plates 6,14, problems with transfer blanket 38, defective ink 26, and problems with support element 42. Problems with printing plates 6,14 and transfer blanket 38 include: damaged, defective, and misaligned printing plate 6,14 or transfer blanket 38.

Printing plates 6,14 and transfer blanket 38 gradually wear during the production run. For example, frequent contact of printing plates 6,14 with

rollers

10,18 and transfer blanket 38 causes wear to the surfaces of printing plates 6, 14. Transfer blanket 38 is also subject to wear due to contact with printing plates 6,14 and metal container 54. As described above, the control system 46 may compensate for wear by substantially continuously adjusting the amount of ink 26A, 26B transferred to the metallic reservoir 54. In one embodiment, wear may cause the decoration to be defective, such as by being misaligned or out of position. In response to determining from the sensor data that the defect is due to improper alignment or position of one or more decors 58, control system 46 may send signals to move one or more of inking assemblies 8,16,

inkers rollers

10,18, plate cylinders 4,12, blanket cylinder 36, and support elements 42 in a particular direction. In this manner, the control system 46 can automatically correct defective decorations due to improper alignment or position of the decorations.

Sometimes, printing plates 6,14 or transfer blanket 38 are damaged. Damage may occur before the production run begins or during the production run. Printing plates 6,14 or transfer blanket 38 may also include defects that affect the quality of the decoration. Further, one of printing plates 6,14 or transfer blanket 38 may not be properly aligned with the associated plate cylinder 4,12 or blanket cylinder 36. Alignment problems may occur during production runs. For example, high rotational speeds of plate cylinders 4,12 or blanket cylinder 36 may cause printing plates 6,14 or transfer blanket 38 to move out of proper alignment, thereby negatively affecting the decoration formed on metal container 54.

Control system 46 may determine that defective decoration 58 is due to a problem with printing plates 6,14 or transfer blanket 38 because defective decoration 58 will repeat periodically on other metal containers 54. More specifically, metal containers 54 with defective decoration caused by problems with printing plates 6,14 or transfer blanket 38 will be positioned between metal containers with satisfactory decoration.

Control system 46 may associate the cause of the defective decoration with printing plates 6,14 or transfer blanket 38 based on the frequency of repeating the defective decoration on the metal container. More specifically, in one embodiment, the number of printing plates 6,14 on plate cylinders 4,12 is different than the number of transfer blankets 38 on blanket cylinder 36. Thus, the defective decoration caused by the problem with transfer blanket 38 will repeat at a different rate than the defective decoration caused by the problem with printing plates 6, 14. If the defective decoration repeats at a rate equal to the number of transfer blankets 38, control system 46 may determine that the defective decoration is caused by a problem with one of transfer blankets 38. Otherwise, if the defective decoration repeats at a rate that matches the number of printing plates 6,14, the control system 46 may determine that the printing plate 6,14 in question is the cause of the defective decoration.

Defective decor can be tracked by control system 46 to either printing plate 6 of first plate cylinder 4 or printing plate 14 of second plate cylinder 12 based on which of first and second inks 26A, 26B is associated with periodic defective decor. For example, if defective decoration is periodically observed and defects are associated with only problems with the first ink 26A, the control system 46 may determine that there is a problem with one of the first printing plates 6. Alternatively, if the defective decoration is periodic and associated with only second ink 26B, the problem is associated with one of second printing plates 14. In one embodiment, control system 46 may send signals to one or more of plate cylinders 4,12 to change the position of printing plates 6,14 to correct the degree of registration of the printing plates on the plate cylinders. In this way, the control system 46 can correct defective decoration due to improper alignment or position of the printing plates 6, 14. In another embodiment, control system 46 may send a signal to an actuator of blanket cylinder 36. The signal may direct the actuator to move the transfer blanket 40 in a particular direction to correct an improperly aligned transfer blanket 40.

The control system may identify problems with the support member 42 when the decoration is improperly aligned or positioned on the metal container 54. For example, support element 42 may not be properly aligned with blanket cylinder 36. When this occurs, the decoration transferred to the metal container 54 may not be properly positioned on the metal container. For example, the decoration on a metal container may be too high or too low. Alternatively, the decoration may not be aligned with the axis of the metal container. Defective decoration may also result when the metal containers 54 are not properly aligned on the support member station 44. For example, station 44 may be damaged or worn such that metal container 54 is not properly aligned with transfer blanket 38. In one embodiment, the support member 42 includes a plurality of spindles 44. Mandrel 44 may be damaged such that metal container 54 thereon is improperly aligned with transfer blanket 38. The control system 46 may determine the support element 42, or the station 44 of support elements, to associate with the defective decor based at least in part on the frequency of occurrence of the defective decor. In one embodiment, the control system 42 may send a signal to an actuator associated with the support element 42 to move the support element 42 or the support element's mandrel 44 in a particular direction to correct the defective decoration. In another embodiment, the control system 42 may send an alert to the operator indicating that a defective trim is associated with the support element 42.

The defect ink 26 may include: improper color inks, inks of incorrect viscosity, impurities in the ink, and inks at incorrect temperatures. If similar defects are observed on multiple metal containers and adjusting the amount of ink transferred to the metal containers does not eliminate the defects, the control system 46 may determine that the defective decoration is associated with defective ink. In one example, the control system 46 may identify the defective decoration and determine that an improper amount of ink is the cause. The control system 46 may adjust the position of one or more of the ink blades 21 or portions of the ink blades 22 associated with at least one of the first roller 10 and the second roller 18. If a similar defective decoration is identified by the control system 46 after adjusting the portion of the ink blade 21 or the ink blade 22, the control system may determine that the cause of the defective decoration is defective ink.

In another embodiment, when defects are observed on two or more cylindrical portions 57 of the cylindrical body 56 of the metal container, the control system 46 may determine that defective ink results in defective decoration. More specifically, an improperly adjusted section 24 of the ink blade 21 or ink blade 22 should affect only one cylindrical portion 57 of the metal container. Conversely, when defective ink is supplied to the inking assemblies 8,16, the defective ink will be transferred throughout all the axial portions 20 of the inking

rollers

10, 18. Thus, at least two cylindrical portions 57 of the metal container 54 will include a cosmetic defect.

The control system 46 may assign an error value to each defect decoration. In one embodiment, the error value may be stored in portion 130 of database 110. In one embodiment, control system 46 may perform different actions based on the level of the error value. For example, in one embodiment, control system 46 may take a first action for a first error value and a second action for a second error value. In another embodiment, the first action may include sending a signal to an actuator to adjust an element of decorator 2. The signal may activate an actuator to move the associated ink blade 21,22, inking assembly 8,16,

inker roller

10,18, plate cylinder 4,12, blanket cylinder 36, or support element 42 in a particular direction. The first action may also include sending an alert to an operator. The second action may include sending a signal to ejector 62 to remove the metal container with the defective trim from conveyor 48. In one embodiment, the second action may also include sending a signal to decorator 2 to stop the decorator. In one embodiment, the first error value is a warning level and the second error value is a rejection level. In another embodiment, the first error value is associated with a defect associated with a first density of decorations. The first density may be obtained by one or more sensors 49,50 and transmitted to the control system 46. The second error value may be associated with a second density of defective decorations. In one embodiment, by assigning an alarm level before assigning a rejection level, control system 46 is given a period of time to adjust decorator 2 to correct for defective decor before stopping the decorator.

In another embodiment, the error value will increase as the size of the defect increases. The error value may be related to one or more of color, density, alignment, depth, and consistency of the defect decoration. In one example, the error value is proportional to the surface area of the container exterior surface 56 covered by the defective decoration. Additionally or alternatively, the error value may be lower than a predetermined value if the defect is not visible to the human eye. Similarly, if the defect is visible to humans, the error value may be higher than a predetermined value.

The error value may also be associated with the frequency of periodic defect decoration. For example, the error value associated with a problem with printing plates 6,14 or transfer blanket 38 (which in some cases cannot be corrected by control system 46) may be higher than the error value of a cosmetic defect associated with the amount of ink transferred into the metal container (which can be corrected by control system 46). In one embodiment, where printing plates 6,14 are fewer than transfer blanket 38, the defective decoration caused by printing plates 6,14 will be given a higher error value by control system 46 than the defective decoration caused by transfer blanket 38. The error value associated with the decoration defect caused by printing plates 6,14 is higher than the error value associated with the defect caused by transfer blanket 38, since printing plate defects will occur more frequently than transfer blanket defects. In one embodiment, the error value may be increased based on the number of metal containers observed for defective decoration. More specifically, the defect decoration may be associated with a first error value. The first error value may be a warning level. If the additional metal container is identified as having a defective decoration within the predetermined period of time, the control system 46 may increase the error value to a second error value. Control system 46 may then send a signal to decorator 2, which stops the decorator. In one embodiment, when the control system 46 identifies a predetermined number of metal containers 60 having a defective decoration, the control system 46 will send a signal to stop the decorator 2.

In another embodiment, control system 46 may assign an error value that is higher than the error values associated with the problems with printing plates 6,14 and transfer blanket 38 for defective decorations determined by control system 46 to be due to defective ink 26. A higher error value for defective ink is necessary because defective ink may cause defective decoration at a greater frequency than the rate of defective decoration caused by problems with printing plates 6,14 and transfer blanket 38.

The control system 46 may generate error or alarm codes associated with defective decorations. In one embodiment, the error or alarm code is stored in field 130 of database 110. The alarm code may include information determined by the control system 46 regarding the cause of the defective decoration. The error value assigned to the defect decoration by the control system 46 may be included in the alarm code. In one embodiment, control system 46 may generate an alarm code when the defective decoration is associated with an improper amount of ink transferred to the metal container, a problem with printing plates 6,14 or transfer blanket 38 or defective ink. In another embodiment, an alarm code is generated when the error value assigned to the defective decoration exceeds a predetermined value. In yet another embodiment, an alert code may be generated for each defective decoration identified by the control system 46. In one embodiment, an alert code may be generated for a defective decoration that the control system cannot correct or cannot be eliminated. For example, a defective decoration that the control system cannot correct by sending a signal to actuator 30 to adjust the amount of ink transferred to metal container 54 or by adjusting one or more of the inking assembly, inker, plate cylinder, blanket cylinder, and support elements may cause control system 46 to generate an alarm code. In another embodiment, the control system 46 may generate an alert code for a defective decoration for which the control system cannot identify the cause.

Additionally or alternatively, the control system 46 may stop the decorator 2 after detecting a defective decor based on rules stored in the memory 96 of the control system 46. In one example, the rules may instruct control system 46 to stop decorator 2 when the error value is above a certain amount. In this manner, the control system 46 may stop the decorator when one or more of: (1) the defective decoration occurs at a predetermined frequency or more; (2) the surface area of the defective decoration is greater than a predetermined amount; (3) detecting more than a predetermined number of defective decorations; and (4) detecting similar defect decoration after adjusting the position of at least one ink blade 21 or portion of ink blade 22 via signals from control system 46 to actuator 30.

Alternatively, the control system 46 may be operable to send a signal to activate the ejector 62 when the control system 46 determines that the metal container 60 has a defective decoration 58. Ejector 62 is operable to remove metal container 60 from conveyor 48, as shown by the ejection of metal container 60 in fig. 1. In this manner, the metal container 60 with the defective decoration is not transported to the downstream equipment 66.

In one embodiment, the control system 46 sends a signal to the ejector 62 to remove the metal container 54, the metal container 54 including a defective decoration having an error value above a predetermined level. Some defective decorations may be subtle. Although the defective decoration does not meet the decoration standard, the defect may not be apparent to the human eye. Thus, control system 46 may adjust portions of ink blade 21 or ink blade 22 to correct the defect; however, if the human eye fails to detect a defect, the control system 46 may allow the metal container 54 to continue to the downstream equipment 66. Other defective decorations may be apparent to the human eye. A higher error value may be assigned to the human-visible decoration so that the metal container 60 with the visible defective decoration needs to be ejected. Accordingly, the control system 46 may send a signal to the ejector 62 to prevent the metal container 60 having a visible defect above a predetermined error value from flowing to the downstream equipment 66.

In one embodiment, ejector 62 uses a blast of compressed gas, such as air, to remove metal containers 60 having defective decorations from conveyor 48. In another embodiment, the ejectors 62 contact and apply mechanical force to the defective metal container 60. This force moves metal container 60 from conveyor 48.

The metal container 54 with the acceptable decoration 58 is conveyed through the ejector 62 to the downstream equipment 66. In one embodiment, the downstream equipment 66 includes one or more of a coater, oven, wax-up, die neck assembly (die necker), tester, inspection station, sensors, and stacker. The coater applies paint (or other material) to the interior of the metal container 54. The oven cures the paint. A thin layer of lubricant may be applied to the portion of the container body near the open end of the metal container 54 by a wax-polishing machine. The die neck member reduces the diameter of a portion of the metal container body and applies a crimp to the aerosol container. The tester checks the container for accidental holes or leaks. The inspection station may inspect the shape or other characteristics of the metal container 54. Optionally, the downstream equipment 66 includes at least one sensor. The sensors may be the same as or similar to sensors 49, 50. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the control system 46 may receive data related to the outer surface 56 of the metal container 54 collected by the sensors of the downstream equipment 64. The stacker can bundle the finished metal containers 54 for transport or storage.

Referring now to FIG. 16, one embodiment of the method 166 of the present invention for determining the cause of a defective decoration on a metal container 54 is generally illustrated. While a general order of the operations of the method 166 is shown in fig. 16, the method 166 may include more or fewer operations, or may operate in a different order than that shown in fig. 16. Further, although the operations of method 166 may be described sequentially, in practice many of the operations may be performed in parallel or concurrently. Generally, the method 166 begins with a start operation 168 and ends with an end operation 188. At least a portion of the method 166 may be performed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on a computer-readable medium. One example of a computer system may include, for example, control system 46. Examples of computer readable media may include, but are not limited to, memory of the control system 46. Hereinafter, the method 166 will be explained with reference to the control system 46, the decorator 2 and the components described in connection with fig. 1-15.

At operation 170, the control system 46 receives data from the sensors 49, 50. The control system 46 may then determine if the decoration is satisfactory in operation 170. In one embodiment, the control system 46 compares the sensor data to stored data for acceptable decor. When the sensor data varies from the stored data by a predetermined amount, the control system 46 may determine that the decoration on the metal container 60 is defective. Alternatively, the control system 46 may establish an error value for the defect decoration. In one embodiment, the error value is one of a warning level and a rejection level. The control system 46 may determine that the decoration is defective for one or more reasons. For example, the control system 46 may determine that the decoration is defective due to one or more of an improper amount of ink, a defective printing plate or transfer blanket, an improper position of the decoration, an improper alignment of the decoration, and others. If the decoration is not satisfactory, the method 166 continues with "no" to operation 174. When the decoration is satisfactory, the method 166 jumps "yes" to end operation 188.

In operation 174, the control system 46 may determine whether the defective decoration was caused by an improper amount of ink 26 transferred to the metal container 60. An improper amount of ink may include too much or too little ink being transferred to the axial portion 20 and subsequently to the metal container 60. Improper amounts of ink may result in defective decorations having improper color, improper ink density, or improper thickness. The control system 46 may determine from the data received from the sensor 50 that the defective decoration is due to an improper amount of ink.

In one embodiment, when the decor 58 is defective only in one cylindrical portion 57 of the metal container 60 and the defect is repeated in multiple metal containers 60, the control system 46 may determine that the defective decor is associated with an improper amount of ink 26 transferred to the axial portion 20 of one of the

rollers

10, 18. Additionally or alternatively, if at least one of the color, density, and thickness of at least a portion of the decor 58 is different from the color, density, and thickness of a corresponding portion of an acceptable decor (such as an acceptable decor stored in the data object 116 of the database 110), the control system 46 can determine that the defective decor is due to an improper amount of ink.

Additionally, in operation 174, the control system 26 may determine which ink blade 21 or portion of ink blade 22 is associated with the cylindrical portion 57 that includes an improper amount of ink 26. When an improper amount of ink is the cause of defective decoration, the improper amount of ink will have a substantially uniform density or thickness along the single cylindrical portion 57 of the metal container 60. Thus, an improperly adjusted portion 24 of the ink blade 21 or the ink blade 22 generally corresponds to a cylindrical portion 57 having an improper amount of ink.

For example, if the cylindrical portion 57B of the container 54 shown in fig. 11 includes a decoration 58A formed with an improper amount of ink, the ink blade 21B or the blade section 24B of the ink blade 22 is improperly adjusted relative to one of the

ink rollers

10, 18. The control system 46 may also determine whether the inking assemblies 8,16 include improperly adjusted ink blades 21B or blade segments 24B based at least in part on the type or color of the ink 26 associated with the identified defects in the cylindrical portion 57B. More specifically, if the ink blade 21B or blade section 24B of the first inking assembly 8 is improperly adjusted, a defective decoration will be associated with the first ink 26A. Control system 46 may also consider data received from potentiometer 80B associated with ink blade 21B or blade section 24B to determine the current position of the ink blade or blade section. The data received from the potentiometer may indicate that ink blade 21B or blade segment 24B has been inadvertently or accidentally moved from the initial position.

In one embodiment, the control system 46 may also consider data received from one or more of the

sensors

49B, 49C regarding ink on the printing plate. The data from the

sensors

49B, 49C may indicate that the ink blade 21 or blade section 24 of one of the inking assemblies 8,16 is transferring an improper amount of ink 26. Accordingly, the control system 46 may consider data from the plurality of sensors 49,50 and the potentiometer 80 to determine which ink blade 21 or blade section 24 is improperly adjusted.

If the defect is not due to an improper amount of ink, the method 166 proceeds with "no" to operation 176. If the defect is due to an improper amount of ink, the method 166 proceeds with YES to operation 184.

In operation 176, the control system 46 may determine that the defective decoration is associated with the defective ink 26. More specifically, if a defective decoration is observed on each of the plurality of metal containers 60, and the defective decoration extends to more than one cylindrical portion 57 of the metal container 60, the control system 46 may determine that the defect is due to defective ink or other conditions.

In one embodiment, the control system 46 may determine that the defective ink 26 is the cause of the defective decoration when adjusting the position of the ink blade 21 or portion of the ink blade 22 to change the amount of ink transferred to the metal container does not eliminate the defect. In another embodiment, the control system 46 may determine that defective ink 26 results in defective decoration when defects are observed in the sensor data associated with two or more cylindrical portions 57 of the cylindrical body 56 of the metal container. More specifically, an improperly adjusted section 24 of the ink blade 21 or blade 22 should only affect one cylindrical portion 57 of the metal container 60. However, when defective ink is supplied to the inking assemblies 8,16, the defective ink will be transferred over all axial portions 20 of the inking

rollers

10, 18. Thus, at least two cylindrical portions 57 of the metal container 60 will include a cosmetic defect.

Additionally or alternatively, the control system 46 may determine that defective ink 26 is the cause of defective decoration when data received from one or more of the sensors 49,50 indicates a change in color, density, or thickness of the ink within a cylindrical portion 57 of the container 60. More specifically, defect-free ink 26 should have a uniform color, density and thickness when transferred from the axial portion 20 of the

ink roller

10,18 to the cylindrical portion 57 of the container. However, if the ink 26 is defective, the data from the sensor 50 associated with the cylindrical portion of the container may include variations. If the ink is contaminated (e.g., by particles, other ink, etc.), at an improper temperature, improperly mixed, or at an incorrect viscosity, the ink may be defective.

When the ink is contaminated with particles, one of the

sensors

49E, 50 may detect particles in one or more cylindrical portions 57 of the container. In one embodiment, one of

sensors

49B, 49C, 49D may detect particles in ink 26 on printing plate 6,14 or transfer blanket 38. In one embodiment, contamination of the ink by particles may be detected when the particles in the ink prevent or interrupt the transfer of ink to the

ink rollers

10, 18. For example, particles sticking in the gap 32 between the

ink roller

10,18 and the ink blade 21 or ink blade portion 24 may cause a lack of ink transferred to the circumferential portion of the

ink roller

10, 18. The circumferential lack of ink on the

inker rollers

10,18 may result in an un-inked ribbon on the printing plate, transfer blanket, or metal container 60. Thus, when the control system 46 detects that there is no ink ribbon around the metal container, the control system 46 can determine that the ink is contaminated with particles.

If the defective ink is at an improper temperature, is improperly mixed, or is at an improper viscosity, the ink may not flow uniformly through the gap 32 between the

ink roller

10,18 and the ink blade 21 or ink blade portion 24. Thus, the ink 26 may be unevenly distributed on at least one of the axial portions 20 of the

ink rollers

10, 18. For example, the sensor 50 may collect data from two

targets

59A, 59B within the cylindrical portion 57B of the metal container, as generally shown in fig. 11. The control system 46 receives data relating to the

targets

59A, 59B and may determine that the ink associated with the target 59A is different from the ink associated with the target 59B. The sensor data may indicate that the ink at the

targets

59A, 59B is one or more of: different thicknesses, different densities, different colors, and non-uniformities.

When the control system 46 determines in operation 176 that the defective ink 26 is the cause of the defect, the method 166 proceeds with yes to operation 184. When defective ink is not the cause of the defect, the method 166 will proceed to operation 178 with "no".

In operation 178, the control system 46 determines whether the defective decoration is repeated. More specifically, the defective decoration associated with defective printing plates 6,14 or defective transfer blanket 38 will be repeated periodically on the metal container. Thus, a defective transfer blanket or printing plate will result in the same or similar defective decoration in multiple metal containers 60. When the defective decoration 58 is periodically repeated on the metal container 60, and the period of repeating the defective decoration 58 is related to the number of printing plates, the control system 46 may determine that the defective decoration 58 is due to a defective printing plate 6, 14. A defective printing plate 6,14 may be improperly positioned on one of the plate cylinders 4, 12. Alternatively, the defective printing plates 6,14 may be worn or damaged. In one embodiment, control system 46 may receive data from at least one of

sensors

49B, 49C, 49D indicating that printing plate 6,14 or transfer blanket 38 is defective.

In one embodiment, the control system may determine the plate cylinders 4,12 to which the defective printing plates 6,14 are interconnected based on the ink 26 associated with the defective decoration. More specifically, defective printing plate 6 on first plate cylinder 4 will be associated with ink 26A of first inking assembly 8. Similarly, defective printing plate 14 on second plate cylinder 12 will be associated with ink 26B of second inking assembly 16.

Control system 46 may also determine that a defective decoration is associated with transfer blanket 38 when defective decoration 58 repeats at a time period associated with the number of transfer blankets 38 on blanket cylinder 36. When the defect is due to a defective printing plate or transfer blanket, method 166 proceeds with yes to operation 184. If the defect is not associated with a printing plate or transfer blanket, method 166 proceeds with "no" to operation 180.

In one embodiment, the control system 46 may also determine that the decoration is not properly aligned or positioned on the metal container 60 in operation 180. More specifically, the control system 46 may compare the data received from the sensors 50 to stored data in the database 110 associated with acceptable decorations. If the level or position of the decoration 58 on the metal container differs from the acceptable decoration stored in memory, the control system may determine that the decoration is not properly aligned.

In one embodiment, the control system 46 may determine that the decoration is not properly positioned or aligned on the metal container by comparing the positions of the two portions of the decoration. More specifically, referring again to FIG. 11, the control system 46 can receive sensor data relating to the position of the embellishments 58A in the

cylindrical portion

57B and 58B in the cylindrical portions 57C-57F. If the locations of the decorations 58A and 58B are separated by a distance other than the predetermined amount, the control system 46 may determine that the decorations are defective due to the decorations 58A, 58B being improperly aligned or positioned. In one embodiment, control system 46 may consider data from at least one of

sensors

49B, 49C, 49D to determine which printing plate 6,14 or transfer blanket 38 is improperly aligned. When the defect is due to an improperly positioned or aligned decoration, the method 166 proceeds with "yes" to operation 184. If the defect is not associated with a printing plate or transfer blanket, method 166 proceeds to operation 182 with "no".

The control system 46 may not be able to classify the cause of each identified defect. Accordingly, in operation 182, the control system 46 may record the defect as being due to the undetermined cause. The method 166 then continues to operation 184.

In operation 184, the metal container 60 with the defective trim is optionally removed from the conveyor 48. For example, in one embodiment, when an error value associated with a defective decoration is at a rejection level, the control system 46 may send a signal to the ejector 62 to remove the metal container.

In operation 186, the control system 46 may send an alert. The alarm may include information about the type of defect identified by the control system. For example, the alert may indicate that the defective decoration is due to one of an improper amount of ink, defective ink, a defective printing plate or transfer blanket, and an improper position or alignment of the decoration. In one embodiment, the alert may include sending an image of the defective decoration collected by the sensor 50 to the display 88 of the control system 46. In another embodiment, defective portions of the decoration may be highlighted and/or enlarged. Alternatively, if the control system 46 is unable to determine the cause of the defective decoration, such that the method 166 proceeds to "No" at operation 180 to operation 182, the alarm may indicate that the control system 46 is unable to determine the cause of the defective decoration. In one embodiment, the alert may also include information regarding actions recommended by the control system 46 to correct the defective decoration. Thus, the alarm may identify the portion of the ink blade or blades 21 or ink keys 22 that should be adjusted to correct the defect. In another embodiment, the alarm may identify one or more of the inking assembly, inker rollers, plate cylinder, blanket cylinder, and support elements that should be adjusted to correct the defect.

In one embodiment, control system 46 may automatically adjust one or more of ink blade 21 or portions of ink keys 22, inking assemblies 8,16,

inkers

10,18, plate cylinders 4,12, blanket cylinder 36, and support elements 42 to correct the defect. In yet another embodiment, control system 46 may send signals to actuators to move printing plates 6,14 or blanket 38 in a particular direction to correct the defect. The alert may also include a recommended action, such as "replace ink in inking assembly 8". In another embodiment, the alarm may indicate which of the printing plate or transfer blanket is defective or improperly aligned. In yet another embodiment, the alarm may indicate that the control system is unable to correct the defect. In one embodiment, the alarm may indicate that the cause of the defect is undetermined. After sending the optional alert, the method 166 proceeds to end operation 188.

Referring now to FIG. 17, one embodiment of a method 200 of automatically adjusting decorator 2 to correct defects in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. While a general order of the operations of method 200 is shown in fig. 17, method 200 may include more or less operations, or the order of the operations may be arranged differently than that shown in fig. 17. Further, although the operations of method 200 may be described sequentially, in practice many of the operations may be performed in parallel or concurrently. Generally, the method 200 begins with a start operation 202 and ends with an end operation 232. At least a portion of method 200 may be performed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on a computer-readable medium. One example of a computer system may include, for example, control system 46. Examples of computer readable media may include, but are not limited to, memory of the control system 46. Hereinafter, the method 200 will be explained with reference to the control system 46, the decorator 2 and the components described in connection with fig. 1-16.

In operation 204, the control system 46 sends a signal to the actuator 30 associated with the inking assembly 8,16 of the decorator 2. The signal causes the actuator 30 to move the ink blade 21 or section of the ink blade 22 closer to or away from the

ink roller

10, 18. In one embodiment of the present invention, the actuator 30 is a low voltage motor.

Alternatively, the actuator 30 may include a potentiometer 80 (or be associated with a potentiometer 80), the potentiometer 80 providing position feedback to the control system 46. The control system 46 may use information received from one or rotational or movement sensors, such as potentiometers 80, to determine the position of the ink blade 21 or ink blade 22 (or blade segment) relative to the associated

ink roller

10, 18. For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, each actuator 30 includes a low voltage Direct Current (DC) motor associated with the corresponding ink key 28 or shaft 31. Optionally, in another embodiment, the actuator 30 includes a solenoid interconnected to the ink key 28. In this manner, the control system 46 adjusts the gap 32 between each ink blade 21 or section 24 of the ink blade 22 and the

ink roller

10,18 to an initial position. The gap 32 is sized to allow a predetermined amount of ink 26 to be metered to each axial portion 20 of the

ink rollers

10,18 required to form the decor 58. In one embodiment, control system 46 automatically determines the initial position of each ink blade 21 or section 24 of ink blade 22 by analyzing the decor 58 input by the operator into database 110 of control system 46. In another embodiment, the operator inputs the initial position of each ink blade 21 or segment 24 of blade 22 into control system 46.

In operation 206, the ink 26 is transferred to the axial portion 20 of the

ink roller

10, 18. The amount of ink 26 transferred to the axial portion 20 is determined by the gap 32 between the ink blade 21 or the section 24 of the ink blade 22 and the

ink roller

10,18 based on the initial setting of the associated ink key 28 or shaft 31. Ink 26 is continuously transferred to printing plates 6,14 in operation 208, to transfer blanket 38 in operation 210, and then to outer surface 56 of undecorated metal container 52 in operation 212. In one embodiment, one or more of the

sensors

49B, 49C collect data at least regarding the amount of ink 26 transferred to the printing plates 6, 14. In another embodiment, sensor 49D collects data regarding the amount of ink on the outer surface 40 of transfer blanket 38.

The decorated metal container 54 is then transferred to the sensor 50. In one embodiment, the method 200 optionally waits in operation 214 for a predetermined period of time during which the metal container 54 is transferred from the support element 42 to one or more of the

sensors

49E, 50. More specifically, depending on the position of the

sensors

49E, 50 relative to the support member 42, it may take several seconds or minutes for the decorated metal container 54 based on the position of the sections of the ink blade 21 and the ink blade 22 to reach the

sensors

49E, 50. However, the amount of time delay between the metal container 54 leaving the support member 42 and reaching each

sensor

49E, 50 is known. Thus, by waiting for a period of time in operation 214, the control system 46 may determine the position of the ink blade 21 and the section of the ink blade 22 when the metal container has been decorated.

In operation 216, the decoration 58 on the metallic container 54 is sensed by at least one of the

sensors

49E, 50. In one embodiment, decorated metal container 54 is conveyed by conveyor 48 to

sensors

49E, 50. Alternatively, the

sensors

49E, 50 are positioned to sense the decorated metal container 54 on the support element 42.

The

sensors

49E, 50 are aligned to sense or image the decoration 58 on the decorated metal container 54. The sensor 50 and optional sensor 49E collect data regarding the decoration 58 required to determine one or more of the following: the color of the decoration; the density of the decoration; the depth (or thickness) of the decoration; the degree of registration of the decoration; and uniformity (or evenness) of decoration. In one embodiment, the

sensors

49E, 50 are cameras. Alternatively, decorator 2 includes three to six sensors 50 or sensors 49E. Three to six

sensors

49E, 50 may be arranged about the longitudinal axis of the metal container 50 to sense substantially the entire outer cylindrical surface 56 of the metal container at the same time.

In operation 218, the control system 46 receives data regarding the decor 58 collected by one or more of the

sensors

49E, 50. The control system 46 is operable to determine whether the decor 58 is acceptable or defective based on a target set by the consumer for one or more of color, density, depth, registration, and consistency. In one embodiment, the control system 46 compares the sensor data to images of acceptable decorations stored in the memory 96,100,104. In one embodiment, a plurality of images of acceptable decorations are stored in a memory. Accordingly, the control system 46 may compare portions of the sensor data to corresponding portions of the plurality of images stored in the memory. Optionally, the control system 46 is programmed to identify acceptable decorations. For example, the control system 46 may be programmed by receiving a plurality of decorative data, as generally described in the method 140 shown in FIG. 15. In operation 218, the control system 46 may also determine the cause of the defective decoration.

In one embodiment, control system 46 receives data for all metal containers decorated by decorator 2. Alternatively, the control system 46 receives data for a number of decorated metal containers 54. If the decoration 58 is satisfactory, the method 200 continues with "Yes" to operation 228. When the decoration 58 is not satisfactory, the method 200 proceeds to operation 220.

Optionally, in operation 220, the control system 46 may send a signal to the ejector 62. This signal causes ejector 62 to remove metal container 60 from conveyor 48 with unsatisfactory decoration. In one embodiment, the control system 46 sends a signal to the ejector 62 when an error value associated with an unsatisfactory embellishment exceeds a predetermined amount. In another embodiment, the control system 46 may send a signal to the ejector 62 for each metal container 60 having an unsatisfactory finish. Alternatively, the control system 46 may determine whether the unsatisfactory decoration is visible to the human eye. For example, unsatisfactory decor may not meet the target; however, the defect may be too small or invisible to the human eye. If the unsatisfactory decoration is visible to the human eye, the control system 46 may cause the ejector 62 to remove the metal container 60. If the unsatisfactory decoration is not visible to the human eye, the control system 46 may allow the metal container to continue to the downstream equipment 66.

In operation 222, the control system 46 may optionally send an alert. The alert may be presented on an output device 88, such as a display, of the control system 46. In one embodiment, the alert is audible. Alternatively, the control system 46 may send the alert to a smart device such as a smart phone, tablet, or portable computer over a network connection. In one embodiment, the alert may comprise a text message.

The alert may provide information regarding the type of defect identified in the decoration 58. In one embodiment, the information may include an error value associated with an unsatisfactory embellishment. The information may also include actions taken or planned by the control system 46 to correct defects, such as a list of ink blades 21 or sections of ink blades 22 associated with the

ink rollers

10,18 that have been adjusted or are to be adjusted. In one embodiment, the alert includes information about the position of the inking assembly, inker rollers, plate cylinders, printing plates, blanket cylinders, transfer blankets, or support elements needed to correct the defective decoration. Alternatively, in one embodiment, the operator may use an input device 86 of the control system 46, such as a pointer, keyboard, or touch screen, to approve the corrective action presented by the control system 46. In another embodiment, the operator may use the input device to make changes to the decorator 2 to correct the defect. In this manner, an operator may activate one or more actuators 30 to change the position of one or more ink blades 21 or segments 24 of ink blade 22. In yet another embodiment, the operator may change the adjustments planned or implemented by the control system 46 to correct the defects.

In operation 224, the control system 46 may determine to stop the production run. More specifically, in one embodiment, after determining in operation 100 that the decoration 58 on the metal container 54 is defective, the control system 46 may determine that the production run should be stopped based on the rules stored in the memory 96. In one embodiment, the rule is associated with an error value assigned to the defect decoration by control system 46. If the error value is above a certain amount, control system 46 may send a signal to stop decorator 2. In one embodiment, the rule is associated with a number of defective decorations detected over a period of time. More specifically, if control system 46 determines that more than a predetermined number of metal containers include defective decorations, the control system may send a signal to decorator 2 to stop the production run. In another embodiment, the rules may be related to the type of defect identified by control system 46. Thus, if the defect is of a type that the control system 46 is correctable by activating at least one actuator 30 to change the position of the ink blade 21 or portion of the ink blade 22, the control system 46 may determine that the production run will continue. Similarly, when a defect can be corrected by control system 46 sending a signal to an actuator to adjust printing plates 6,14 or transfer blanket 38, the control system can continue the production run. Alternatively, the control system 46 may stop the production run when the defect is uncorrectable by the control system 46. In one embodiment, the control system 46 may stop the production run in response to an operator input. If the control system 46 determines that the decoration run should continue, the method 200 loops "Yes" to operation 226. Alternatively, when the control system 46 determines that the decoration run should be stopped, the method 200 continues with "no" to end operation 232.

In operation 226, the control system 46 identifies one or more elements of the decorator 2 to adjust to correct the identified defects in the decor 58 using data received from the sensor 50 or sensor 49E. For example, the control system 48 may use data received from one or more of the

sensors

49B, 49C, 49D, 49E, and 50 to identify one or more of the ink blades 21 or sections 24 of the ink blade 22 that require adjustment to correct a defect in the decor 58. For example, the control system 46 may determine that one or more axial portions 20 of at least one of the

rollers

10,18 should receive more (or less) ink 26. Accordingly, the control system 46 may send a signal to the one or more actuators 30 to move the ink blade 21 or section of the ink blade 22 closer to or further from the

ink roller

10, 18. Movement of the actuator 30 adjusts the gap 32 between the associated ink blade 21,22 and the

ink roller

10,18 to meter a corrected amount of ink 26 to the associated axial portion 20 of the

ink roller

10,18 to form a satisfactory decor 58. Additionally, the control system 46 may send signals to the at least one actuator 30 to adjust the axial position of the at least one ink blade segment 24. In this way, the control system can, for example, change the degree of alignment of the decor.

In another embodiment, control system 46 may determine that a decor that is improperly aligned or positioned may be corrected by changing the alignment of one or more elements of decorator 2. Accordingly, control system 46 may send signals to at least one actuator associated with inking assemblies 8,16,

rollers

10,18, plate cylinders 4,12, printing plates 6,14, blanket cylinder 36, transfer blanket 38, and support elements 42. The signal may activate the actuator to move in a particular direction. In this manner, the control system 46 can correct for defects caused by improperly aligned or positioned decorations. In one embodiment, control system 46 determines the cause of the defect by performing one or more operations of method 166 described in connection with FIG. 16.

In one embodiment, control system 46 automatically controls actuator 30. In another embodiment, the operator must approve activation of the actuator 30 before the control system 46 sends a signal to the actuator 30. In yet another embodiment, the control system 46 automatically sends a signal to the actuator 30 after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after sending the alert in operation 104. The operator may cancel the adjustment of the plan of the ink blades 21,22 during a predetermined period of time. Thus, in one embodiment, the operator must approve the adjustment of the ink blades 21,22 as planned by the control system 46.

The method 200 then loops to operation 206 and the ink 26 is transferred to the inker axial portion 20 with the adjusted setting of the at least one ink blade 21,22 or the changed alignment of another element of the decorator. The method 200 again performs operation 208-218. After transferring the decoration 58 formed with the adjusted settings to the metal container 54 in operation 212, the method 200 again senses the decoration in operation 216 and determines whether the decoration is satisfactory in operation 218. In one embodiment, the method 200 will optionally wait a predetermined period of time before the metal container 54 with the trim 58 formed by the adjusted setting reaches one or more of the

sensors

49E, 50. In one embodiment, control system 46 does not send a signal to actuator 30 during a particular time period of the lag time of operation 214. In this manner, the control system 46 does not send a signal to the actuator 30 to correct the defect, which may conflict or cancel the correction of the ink blades 21,22 sent by the control system 46 to correct the previously detected defect.

In operation 228, the decorated metal containers 54 with satisfactory decorations 58 are conveyed by conveyor 48 to downstream equipment 66. The control system 46 determines whether the decoration production run should continue in operation 230. For example, control system 46 may determine to stop the production run if there is an equipment failure, if there is a supply shortage (e.g., a lack of ink or a lack of un-decorated metal containers 52), when a stop command is received from an operator, or when a predetermined number of metal containers 54 are decorated. If the control system 46 determines that the production run should continue, the method 200 loops "Yes" to operation 206. If the production run should stop, method 200 continues with "no" to end 232.

By providing additional context, and further meeting the written description requirements of 35u.s.c § 112, the following references are incorporated by reference in their entirety: us patent 5,724,259, us patent 5,992,318; us patent 6,142,078; us patent 6,178,254; us patent 6,184,988; us patent 6,543,350; us patent 6,867,423; us patent 7,013,803; us patent 7,017,492; PCT publications WO 2013/113616; PCT publication WO 2016/087876.

The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiments described and illustrated in the figures were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and adaptations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, references herein to "the invention" or aspects thereof should be understood to mean certain embodiments of the invention, and should not be construed as limiting all embodiments to the specific description. It is to be expressly understood that such modifications and adaptations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention, as set forth in the following claims.

While the exemplary aspects, embodiments, options, and/or configurations illustrated herein show various components of the system collocated, certain components of the system can be remotely located at a remote portion of a distributed network, such as a Local Area Network (LAN) and/or the internet, or within a dedicated system. Thus, it should be understood that the components of the system may be combined into one or more devices, such as a Personal Computer (PC), a notebook, a netbook, a smartphone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a tablet, etc., or collocated on a particular node of a distributed network, such as an analog and/or digital telecommunications network, a packet-switched network, or a circuit-switched network. As can be appreciated from the foregoing description, and for reasons of computational efficiency, the components of the system may be arranged anywhere within a distributed network of components without affecting the operation of the system. For example, the various components may be located in a switch, such as a private branch exchange (PBX) and media server, a gateway, in one or more communication devices, at the premises of one or more users, or some combination thereof. Similarly, one or more functional portions of the system may be distributed between one or more telecommunications devices and associated computing devices.

Further, it should be understood that the various links connecting the elements may be wired or wireless links, or any combination thereof, or any other known or later developed element or elements capable of providing and/or communicating data to/from the connected elements. These wired or wireless links may also be secure links and may be capable of transmitting encrypted information. For example, the transmission medium used for the links may be any suitable carrier for electrical signals, including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, and may take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications.

Moreover, while the flow diagrams have been discussed and illustrated with respect to a particular sequence of events, it should be understood that changes, additions, and omissions to this sequence can be made without materially affecting the operation of the disclosed embodiments, configurations, and aspects. In addition, many variations and modifications of the present disclosure may be used. Some features of the present disclosure may be provided without others.

Alternatively, the systems and methods of the present disclosure may be implemented in connection with a special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and one or more peripheral integrated circuit elements, an ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a hardwired electronic or logic circuit (e.g., a discrete element circuit), a programmable logic device or gate array (e.g., PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL), a special purpose computer, any similar device, or the like. In general, any device or means capable of implementing the methods illustrated herein can be used to implement the various aspects of the disclosure. Exemplary hardware that can be used in the disclosed embodiments, configurations, and aspects includes computers, handheld devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, internet-enabled, digital, analog, hybrid, and other), and other hardware known in the art. Some of these devices include a processor (e.g., a single or multiple microprocessors), memory, non-volatile memory, input devices, and output devices. Furthermore, alternative software embodiments may also be constructed to implement the methods described herein, including but not limited to distributed processing or component/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing.

In one embodiment, the disclosed methods may be readily implemented using an object or object-oriented software development environment in conjunction with software that provides portable source code that may be used on a variety of computer or workstation platforms. Alternatively, the disclosed system may be implemented partially or completely in hardware using standard logic circuits or Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) designs. Whether software or hardware is used to implement a system according to the present disclosure depends on the speed and/or efficiency requirements of the system, the particular function, and the particular software or hardware system or microprocessor or microcomputer system being used.

In yet another embodimentThe disclosed methods may be implemented in part in software that may be stored on a storage medium and executed on a programmed general purpose computer in cooperation with a controller and memory, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, and the like. In these cases, the systems and methods of the present disclosure may be implemented as a program embedded on a personal computer, such as an applet,

Or Computer Generated Image (CGI) scripts, as resources residing on a server or computer workstation, as routines embedded in a dedicated measurement system or system component, or the like. The system may also be implemented by physically incorporating the system and/or method into a software and/or hardware system.

Although the present disclosure describes components and functions implemented in aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations with reference to particular standards and protocols, these aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations are not limited to these standards and protocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein exist and are considered to be included in the present disclosure. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned herein and other similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein are periodically superseded by faster or more effective equivalents having substantially the same functionality. Such replacement standards and protocols having the same functions are considered equivalents included in this disclosure.

Examples of processors described herein may include, but are not limited to, at least one of:

800 and 801 with 4G LTE integration and 64 bit computation

610 and 615, having a 64-bit architecture

A7 processor,

M7 motion coprocessor,

A series of,

Core^TMA series of processors,

A series of processors,

Atom^TMSerial processor, Intel

A series of processors,

i5-4670K and i7-4770K 22nm Haswell,

i5-3570K22nm Ivy Bridge、

FX^TMA series of processors,

FX-4300, FX-6300 and FX-835032 nm Vishrea,

Kaveri processor, Texas

Jacinto C6000^TMAutomobile infotainment processor, Texas

OMAP^TMA vehicle-level mobile processor,

Cortex^TM-an M processor,

Cortex-A and ARM926EJ-S^TMA processor, other industry-equivalent processor, and may perform computing functions using any known or future developed standard, set of instructions, library, and/or architecture.

In various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations, the present disclosure includes components, methods, processes, systems and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, including various aspects, embodiments, configurations embodiments, subcombinations, and/or subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the disclosed aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations after understanding the present disclosure. In various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations, the present disclosure includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described herein or in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, ease of implementation, and/or reducing cost of implementation.

Claims

1. An apparatus for selectively controlling an amount of ink applied by a decorator for decorating a metal container, comprising:

an inking assembly including an inker having a periphery, an ink reservoir, a plurality of ink blades configured to travel substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the plurality of ink blades, and an actuator associated with each ink blade, the actuator operable to adjust an amount of linear travel of each ink blade to control an amount of ink transferred from the ink reservoir to the periphery of the inker, wherein the actuator includes a shaft having a first end interconnected to the actuator and a second end operatively interconnected to the ink blade, wherein rotating the shaft in a first direction moves the ink blade closer to the inker to reduce the amount of ink transferred to an associated axial portion of the periphery of the inker;

a plate cylinder comprising a printing plate in a predetermined alignment relative to the inker such that the printing plate receives at least some of the ink from the inker;

a blanket cylinder including a transfer blanket in a predetermined alignment with respect to the plate cylinder such that the transfer blanket receives at least some ink from the printing plate;

a support element having a plurality of stations to receive the metal container, the support element operable to receive the metal container from the conveyor and move the metal container into contact with the transfer blanket to transfer at least some of the ink from the transfer blanket to the metal container to form a decoration on an outer surface of the metal container;

at least one sensor positioned downstream of the oven for obtaining data on the decoration on the outer surface of the metal container after it has passed through the oven; and

a control system that receives data from the at least one sensor and determines whether the decor includes a defect, wherein the control system evaluates a plurality of data points received from the at least one sensor associated with a plurality of target regions, wherein at least one of the plurality of target regions is associated with one of the plurality of ink blades, and wherein if the decor includes a defect, the control system is operable to send a signal to the actuator to change an amount of ink transferred to a portion of the outer circumference of the ink roller.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control system evaluates data points associated with up to 80 different target areas, and wherein the at least one sensor comprises a camera assembly that images a decoration on an exterior surface of the metal container.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the defect is associated with at least one of a color, a density, a depth, a degree of alignment, a consistency, and a location of a decoration, and wherein the at least one sensor obtains data of one or more of the color, the density, the depth or the thickness, the degree of alignment, the consistency, and the location of the decoration.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control system is operable to:

determining an initial position of each of the plurality of ink blades based on the images of the decor stored in the database; and

before starting a run to decorate the production of metal containers, a signal is sent to an actuator associated with each of the plurality of ink blades to move each ink blade to its initial position.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shaft extends linearly between the actuator and the ink blade.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuator is operable to change a linear position of the associated ink blade to change an amount of ink transferred to the associated axial portion of the ink roller while the apparatus is in operation to decorate the metal container, and wherein a potentiometer is associated with each of the plurality of ink blades.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shaft extends linearly from a first side of the actuator to a first end wall of the ink blade.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second end of the shaft is threaded, and wherein the ink blade includes a body having an internal bore with internal threads for receiving the threaded second end of the shaft.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second end of the shaft is located in an internal bore of the ink blade.

10. A method of sensing and correcting anomalies in a decoration applied to an exterior surface of a container, comprising:

providing a container;

decorating a container with a decorator, the decorator comprising:

an inking assembly comprising an inker having a plurality of peripheral surfaces for receiving ink, an ink reservoir, a plurality of ink blades configured to travel substantially parallel to longitudinal axes of the plurality of ink blades, and an actuator associated with each ink blade, each actuator operable to adjust an amount of linear travel of the ink blade to control an amount of ink transferred from the ink reservoir to the periphery of the inker;

a blanket cylinder including transfer blankets in a predetermined alignment with respect to the plate cylinder such that each transfer blanket receives at least some ink from one of the printing plates; and

a support element for receiving the container from the conveyor and moving the container into contact with a transfer blanket of the blanket cylinder to transfer at least some of the ink from the transfer blanket to the container to form a decoration on an outer surface of the container;

transferring the decorated container to an oven to cure the ink used for decoration;

obtaining data regarding decoration on an exterior surface of the container by at least one sensor, wherein the at least one sensor is positioned downstream of the oven;

determining, by a control system, whether the decor includes an anomaly, wherein the control system evaluates a plurality of data points received from at least one sensor associated with a plurality of target areas, wherein at least one of the plurality of target areas is associated with one of the plurality of ink blades; and

sending, by the control system, a signal to the decorator to change at least one of a color, density, thickness, degree of alignment, and consistency of a subsequent decor, wherein the signal causes the actuator to move the ink blade in a particular direction to change an amount of ink transferred to the ink roller, wherein the actuator comprises a shaft having a first end interconnected to the actuator and a second end operably engaged to the ink blade.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second end of the shaft is threaded, and wherein the second end of the shaft is retained within a threaded bore extending partially through the ink blade.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the shaft extends linearly from the actuator to the ink blade.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

retrieving, by the control system, an image of a decoration to be applied to the container from a database;

determining, by a control system, an initial position of each of a plurality of ink blades based on the image; and

a signal is sent by the control system to an actuator associated with each of the plurality of ink blades to move each ink blade to its initial position.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the control system determines whether the decoration includes an anomaly by comparing data from the at least one sensor to an image of the decoration retrieved from the database, and wherein, after sending a signal to the decorator, the control system waits a predetermined period of time for the at least one sensor to obtain data about a second decoration on an outer surface of a second container decorated by the decorator.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the second end of the shaft enters the threaded hole from the first end of the ink blade and the threaded hole does not extend through the second end of the ink blade opposite the first end.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium disposed on a storage medium and having instructions that, when executed by a processor of a control system, cause the processor to perform a method of sensing and correcting anomalies in a decor formed by a decorator on a cylindrical surface of a container, the computer readable medium comprising:

instructions for receiving data from a sensor associated with a decoration formed on a cylindrical surface of a container after the decorated container has passed through an oven to cure ink for decoration;

evaluating a plurality of data points received from the sensor associated with a plurality of target areas, wherein at least one of the plurality of target areas is associated with one of a plurality of ink blades of an inking assembly of the decorator;

instructions for determining whether the decoration includes anomalies, the anomalies relating to at least one of color, density, thickness, alignment, and consistency of the decoration; and

instructions to send a signal to the decorator to change at least one of a color, a density, a thickness, an alignment, and a consistency of a subsequent decor formed by the decorator, wherein the signal causes the actuator to move at least one of the plurality of ink blades in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the ink blade and to change an amount of ink transferred to an ink roller substantially linearly with respect to the ink roller of the decorator, wherein the actuator comprises a shaft having a first end interconnected to the actuator and a second end operatively interconnected to the ink blade.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions to compare data received from the sensor to data of an image retrieved from a database.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions to determine whether the anomalous decoration is associated with one or more of an improper amount of ink, a defective printing plate or a defective transfer blanket of the decorator, and an improper alignment of a component of the decorator; and

instructions to stop the decorator after determining that the anomalous decoration is associated with at least one of: defective ink, defective printing plate, and defective transfer blanket.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the signal causes the actuator to rotate the shaft in a particular direction, wherein a second end of the shaft is threaded and retained in a threaded bore of the ink blade that intersects only one end of the ink blade.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

instructions for retrieving the decorated image from a database;

instructions to determine an initial position of each of a plurality of ink blades of an inking assembly of the decorator based on the image; and

instructions to send a signal to an actuator associated with each of the plurality of ink blades, the signal causing each actuator to move the associated ink blade to its initial position.